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DWR and Central Valley Flood Protection Board describe statewide role, liability and 30-year funding need
Summary
State and Central Valley officials told the Assembly that the Department of Water Resources coordinates forecasting, preparedness and emergency response statewide, that the Central Valley has unique state liability because of the Paterno decision, and that the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan identifies long-term funding gaps.
State flood-management officials outlined California's role in assessing flood risk, coordinating emergency response, and implementing the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan.
Laura Hollander, deputy director for flood management and dam safety at the Department of Water Resources, told the committee that DWR runs a statewide flood operations center, provides flood monitoring and forecasting through the California-Nevada River Forecasting Center, deploys flood-fight materials, awards preparedness grants to local agencies and implements technical assistance. "Local agencies have the first response in an emergency," Hollander said. "When the locals run out of resources, that's when they call us."
Jane Dolan, chair of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, outlined the historical evolution of flood management in the Central Valley, noting the region's repeated major floods and the statutory and planning steps that followed. She recalled the 1861-62 flood and later events that drove federal and state involvement, and described the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan's 30-year horizon and its estimated investment needs. "The plan has a 30-year horizon and it talks about a need to invest $1,000,000,000 a year for those 30 years," Dolan said, summarizing the plan's scale.
Why this matters: The Central Valley contains extensive levee systems, major population centers and critical infrastructure. The state has unique legal exposure in the Valley because of the Paterno decision, which found state liability after historical acceptance of federal-constructed levees.
Key points
- State role: DWR emphasized risk assessment, forecasting, technical assistance, emergency material deployment and a grants program for local preparedness. DWR also implements the state's role in the National Flood Insurance Program.
- Liability and standards: Dolan and Hollander both described the Paterno decision as creating unique state liability for certain Central Valley facilities. Following that decision and Hurricane Katrina, the Legislature enacted reforms, including a Central Valley flood protection planning requirement and 200-year protection goals for urban areas in the Valley.
- Funding shortfalls: The Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (latest update 2022) estimates multi-decade needs. Board testimony cited a roughly $1 billion per-year investment need over decades and described deferred maintenance and eligibility issues for federal assistance when local systems fail to meet inspection standards.
Ending
Officials urged consistent, predictable funding and improved interagency coordination to maintain levees, restore floodplain functions where feasible, and prepare communities for response and recovery.
