Set Aside Funding for Flood Protection and Disaster Prevention

Delta Plan Strategy

Update flood management funding strategies

Delta Plan Recommendation

RR R7. Fund Actions to Protect Infrastructure from Flooding and Other Natural Disasters

• The California Public Utilities Commission should immediately commence formal hearings to impose a reasonable fee for flood and disaster prevention on regulated privately owned utilities with facilities located in the Delta. Publicly owned utilities should also be encouraged to develop similar fees. The California Public Utilities Commission, in consultation with the Delta Stewardship Council, the California Department of Water Resources, and the Delta Protection Commission, should allocate these funds among State and local emergency response and flood protection entities in the Delta. If a new regional flood management agency is established by law, a portion of the local share would be allocated to that agency.
• The California Public Utilities Commission should direct all regulated public utilities in their jurisdiction to immediately take steps to protect their facilities in the Delta from the consequences of a catastrophic failure of levees in the Delta, to minimize the impact on the State’s economy.
• CalTrans should be given authority by the Legislature to enter into agreements with local levee maintaining agencies to fund improvement and maintenance of levees adjoining interstates and State highways when that is the least cost 1 approach to reducing flood risks to those roads.
• State agencies with projects or infrastructure in the Delta should set aside a reasonable amount of funding to pay for flood protection and disaster prevention.