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Regional agencies urge steady, increased funding for subventions and rehabilitation programs
Summary
Local and regional flood managers told the Assembly that steady state funding and better access to federal grants are essential to keep levees and state plan facilities eligible for federal rehabilitation assistance and to complete major projects that protect communities and infrastructure.
Local and regional flood managers described the financing gap for flood management and urged lawmakers to commit to sustained funding for maintenance, rehabilitation and construction.
Tom Engler, engineer for the Central Valley Flood Control Association, summarized the Central Valley’s long‑term funding needs, saying recent plan updates identify annual routine needs of roughly $380 million and overall multidecade needs in the tens of billions (witnesses gave a range of figures during the hearing). Engler and other witnesses urged the Legislature to increase consistent annual funding rather than relying on intermittent allocations.
Megan Nagy, deputy manager for Reclamation District 108 and general manager for nearby levee districts, described how targeted state seed grants have unlocked federal assistance: she said her districts used design and regional planning funds to prepare a FEMA application that yielded an estimated $26 million Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) award for levee seepage mitigation in Grimes. Nagy and other local managers also highlighted the Department of Water Resources’ state plan of flood control maintenance assistance program (FMAP), which helps local maintaining agencies stay eligible for federal rehabilitation assistance; Nagy said a single district received more than $30 million in federal rehabilitation funds since 2017 and warned that program cuts would jeopardize future aid.
Tom Engler and other speakers asked lawmakers to support bond or budget measures that restore and expand dam‑safety and flood control funding. Engler noted that a proposed large flood bond was substantially reduced before final action on a broader climate and water bond, leaving the state’s flood allocations far below identified needs. Multiple witnesses stressed the importance of leveraging state dollars to attract federal funding and of prioritizing projects that protect urban populations as well as small disadvantaged communities.
