Congressman Doolittle and the Auburn Dam Sacramento Flood Control

The Sacramento region has the unusual distinction of suffering from both the threat of severe flooding and drought in the very same year. The Auburn Dam is the only alternative which solves both of these water management needs. Without it, Sacramento will inevitably suffer from catastrophic flooding, and our region will continue to be held victim to the effects of a depleting water supply. The construction of the Auburn Dam has been a top priority of mine for the last 15 years, and, despite our recent setback in Congress, we must continue to do all we can to ensure its completion. The flood control plan advanced by the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA) - a half billion dollar plan which calls for modifications to Folsom Dam and levee improvements along the American River - is seriously flawed.

The plan fails to protect against the flood which will inundate Sacramento. During the 1996 debate in Congress on this issue, representatives of every aspect of our community - including the environmentalists - testified that any flood control plan advanced by Congress must protect, at minimum, against a 200-year flood event (the flood which the Army Corps of Engineers has found could devastate Sacramento in any given year). This plan - although costing taxpayers a half billion dollars - offers only approximately 150-year protection.

The plan puts the lives of 400,000 floodplain residents in serious danger. During the 1996 debate in Congress, with the exception of the extreme environmental movement, all other testimony from the community opposed a plan nearly identical to that which was passed by SAFCA this year as dangerous and unworkable. SAFCA's own testimony said that the plan would "red-line" the system, leaving little room for error. David Kennedy, California's Water Resources Director, argued that "deeper and faster river flows" would "increase the probability of levee failure." And in a stunning critique, the very engineer who designed the plan testified that "by putting more water through the system...[the plan] pushes the existing system to its limits. Many experienced flood operators are very concerned that the 100-year old flood system would not be able to withstand" the increased river flows called for under the plan.

Presentation on Why Lives Will Not Be Saved by the Step Release Program: (in pdf format)
The Most Dangerous Plan of All -- Sacramento Bee Op-Ed by Rep. Doolittle
Doolittle Opposes Matsui Levee Plan (Press Release)
Matsui Plan Stands 40% Chance of Flooding Sacramento (Press Release)
CA Republican Delegation Opposes Matsui Levee Plan (Press Release)