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FloodSAFE California

FloodSAFE California

Department of Water Resources
3310 El Camino Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95821

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 219000
Sacramento, CA 95821-9000

Answers To Frequently Asked Questions


All FloodSAFE California Initiative Questions and Answers (PDF: 46K)


State-Federal Flood Control System Modification Program, Early Implementation Projects | Flood Protection Corridor Program | Local Levee Grant Program


State-Federal Flood Control System Modification Program, Early Implementation Projects

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Flood Protection Corridor Program

  • Is there a public comment period for the Flood Protection Corridor Program (FPCP) draft guidelines?

    Yes. The deadline for public comment on the draft Guidelines for the Flood Protection Corridor Program is April 30, 2007 at 5 p.m. Only written comments on the draft guidelines will be accepted, and comments may be submitted via email to floodsafe@water.ca.gov, or mailed to 3310 El Camino Avenue, Sacramento, California 95821, Attention: Flood Protection Corridor Program.

  • Will there be an application deadline for grants under the FPCP, or will applications be accepted on a "rolling" basis?

    According to the draft Guidelines for the Flood Protection Corridor Program, grant proposals will be solicited during discrete application periods. The time period for submitting applications shall be at least 30 days from the date notice is given by DWR that project proposals are being solicited. As long as uncommitted funds remain available to fund new projects, DWR shall solicit proposals at least once per calendar year.

  • How can I determine whether the project my agency is considering is eligible for funding under the FPCP?

    Grant funding eligibility for proposed projects is defined in Section 5 (page 7) of the draft Guidelines for the Flood Protection Corridor Program.

  • I did not see in the guidelines the required match for the FPCP. Is there a consideration for disadvantaged communities?

    The FPCP does not require any specific cost-share composition. However, in evaluating competitive proposals, DWR will issue a higher score in proportion to the amount of matching funds an applicant can bring to the project. Non-State matching funds will bring the highest score.

    Disadvantaged communities will receive consideration under the FPCP. In the Grant Application, under Section VI - Miscellaneous Benefits and Quality of Proposal, Item C1 solicits the applicant's assessment of the quality of the proposed project impact on underrepresented populations. The term "underrepresented populations" refers to minorities and disadvantaged communities. If the applicant makes a strong case for benefits of the project to these populations, the applicant can attain a score from this question alone equal to 60 points, or 6 percent of the total points available.

  • A cursory review of the new draft Guidelines for the Flood Protection Corridor Program suggests that they are very similar to the old program guidelines under Proposition 13. What are the significant differences, if any?

    The proposed guidelines are not significantly different from the former regulations. The changes are minor, having to do with inclusion of the concept of reducing taxpayer liability for flooding and a reduction of the solicitation period for new projects to a minimum of 30 days. In the new guidelines, we have also added the new Proposition 84 requirement for a Labor Compliance Program for public works projects. Other than that, the language changes relate to the funding source being from Proposition 84 rather than Proposition 13.

  • I understand there is a set amount of money for FPCP projects. Will there be a time frame for FPCP projects to be "in the ground"?

    Under Proposition 84 (The Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006), Section 75032.5 authorizes a sum of $40 million to be made available for Flood Protection Corridor projects. In Fiscal Year 2007-08, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) intends to disburse $25 million in FPCP grant funds, with a grant cap of $5 million per project.

    The draft Guidelines for the Flood Protection Corridor Program do not specify time frames for project completion. However, submitted grant application forms will be evaluated by a Project Evaluation Team comprised of DWR staff and other consulting governmental agencies. Project proposals that meet the minimum qualifications as defined in the Competitive Grant Application Form will undergo review by the Project Evaluation Team, who will award points based upon various applicant-identified project benefits. Projects to be implemented over an extended period of time are not excluded from consideration; however, an FPCP project with a timely implementation is likely to be more competitive than an FPCP project offering comparable benefits but delayed implementation.

    For more complete program information, including minimum qualifications, eligibility, funding priorities, and points scoring, please review the draft Guidelines for the Flood Protection Corridor Program and the Flood Protection Corridor Program Project Evaluation Criteria and Competitive Grant Application Form. Electronic copies of both documents are available (in MS Word and PDF formats) on the FloodSAFE web site: www.water.ca.gov/floodsafe/. Please note that the draft guidelines have been released for public comment, and the deadline for public comment is April 30, 2007 at 5 p.m. Formal solicitation of FPCP Grant Applications has not yet begun.

    Upon grant award, successful applicants, or "project sponsors," must observe requirements outlined in the program guidelines. In particular, you may wish to review the draft guidelines, Section 9 - Grant Contract Requirements and Section 10 - Progress Reports, which include several requirements and restrictions relating project milestones with disbursement of FPCP grant funding.

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Local Levee Grant Program

  • Where can I find information on the Local Levee Assistance Program?

    The Program Guidelines are the governing document for the Local Levee Assistance Program. The document can be found on the FloodSAFE website at http://www.water.ca.gov/floodmgmt/fpo/sgb/llap/ or by contacting the program manager, David Wright, at dwright@water.ca.gov or (916)574-1191.

  • Under the Local Levee Assistance Program, is DWR seeking proposals for flood control projects for which a local agency has already identified a potential flood management problem?

    Although applications may be submitted for evaluation of any local levee, applicants should bear in mind that grant funding under the LOLE Program will be offered competitively statewide (to qualified applicants). Appendix B of the draft Guidelines for the Local Levee Grant Program lists evaluation criteria for LOLE Program projects, including a series of guidance questions applicants may wish to address in their proposals. Repair projects must be performed on structures or levees with identified critical deficiencies.

  • What types of flood protection structures are funded under the Local Levee Assistance Program?

    Levees projects are funded under the program. The 2011 Guidelines for the Local Levee Assistance Program define a "levee" as "an embankment, floodwall, structure, flood control facility or related structure intentionally constructed for the purpose of preventing overflow of a watercourse." For a local levee grant proposal to be considered under the program, the subject must meet the definition of a "levee" as defined on page viii of the Guidelines.

  • What are the differences between the two strategies utilized by the Local Levee Assistance Program: Local Levee Critical Repair (LLCR) funding and Local Levee Evaluation (LOLE) funding?

    Through the LLCR strategy, the Department intends to continue to fund the design and repair of damaged levees. Proposed projects must be of a type that will repair erosion damage, repair unstable slopes, address freeboard deficiencies, or address substandard encroachment for a local levee, or conduct remediation of unstable conditions for any damaged local levee. The LLCR strategy may also fund structures that are designed to reduce flood risk and may include but are not limited to floodwalls, berms, detention basins, or any structures to address freeboard deficiencies or substandard encroachment. Projects must result in a complete, sustainable and maintainable facility. Any facility to be repaired must be the responsibility of a local public agency. Projects must comply with all applicable permits, standards, laws, responsibilities, and other local, State, and federal requirements.

    The LOLE strategy provides funding to local public agencies Statewide to conduct hydrology and hydraulic studies and geotechnical evaluations of levees that are needed for accreditation by FEMA. Local levees at risk of losing FEMA accreditation or that have lost accreditation since August 2005 due to the implementation of Procedure Memoranda 34 and 43 will be given preference for LOLE funding. Proposals for evaluations of levees not at risk of losing FEMA accreditation will be considered for funding if the sponsor is able to document that a levee has serious problems with seepage, stability, erosion or underseepage. To be selected, a proposal must include a geotechnical evaluation and any necessary survey, hydrology, or hydraulic studies.

    To qualify for either strategy, applications must conform to all of the LLAP Guidelines found at (http://www.water.ca.gov/floodmgmt/docs/LLAP_Guidelines_2011_new.pdf).

  • Is it correct that applicants must provide a 50 percent non-State match for Local Levee Assistance Program funding?

    Yes. DWR will require that 50 percent of the eligible costs for repair or evaluation are provided by the grantee. However, the Department will fund up to 90 percent of the estimated costs for the projects that meet certain cost-share enhancement conditions explained in Appendix C of the Guidelines.

  • Where can I find information on Cost Share Enhancements?

    The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has released the final Cost-Sharing Formulas document. DWR's Division of Flood Management will use these cost-sharing formulas for many of the programs that provide financial assistance to local agencies for flood management projects. DWR opened the comment period on this document on August 5, 2010, and held two public comment workshops in September 2010. All submitted comments have been addressed.

    In 2007 the legislature enacted Assembly Bill 5 (Wolk), Ch. 366, Sec. 26 (codified at Cal. Water Code § 9625) which requires DWR to develop cost-sharing formulas for flood management projects related to the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan that use funds made available by the Disaster Preparedness and Flood Prevention Bond Act of 2006 (Proposition 1E), Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 5096.800 et seq., and the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006 (Proposition 84), Cal. Pub. Res. Code § § 75001 et seq. This Cost-Sharing Formulas document fulfills the above-mentioned legislative requirement. More information on the Departments Guidelines for Establishing Local Agency Cost-Sharing Formulas can be found on the Departments FloodSAFE Website. (http://www.water.ca.gov/floodsafe/docs/Cost_Sharing_Formula_12-29-10_Final.pdf)

    Cost Share Enhancements are available for habitat objectives, open-space objectives, recreation objectives, disadvantaged area objective enhancements and ecosystem restoration and recreation cost sharing. More details on Cost Sharing Enhancements can be found in Appendix C of the LLAP Guidelines (http://www.water.ca.gov/floodmgmt/docs/LLAP_Guidelines_2011_new.pdf).

  • Is there a preference between cash or in-kind matching for Local Levee Assistance Program funding?

    DWR does not have a preference on whether the grantee's 50-percent share is accomplished through in-kind services or cash payments. The Department's recognition of the reasonable in-kind contributions made by the local public agency in the form of work (that would otherwise be eligible for reimbursement) that is performed after the approval of funding, but before the execution of a Funding Agreement between the Department and the Sponsor for the proposed project. Credit may only be applied towards the local cost share.

    If cash payments are rendered, the matching funds used by the grantee must be non-State funds.

  • Is there a defined project period for projects funded by the Local Levee Assistance Program?

    No. However, the factor of project timing will be considered during DWR's evaluation of proposed levee projects. Specifically for a LLCR grant, the intended use of the funds is to immediately repair local (non-Project) levees. Applications that propose to implement the project over an extended period of time, for whatever reasons, will be given lower priority than those that propose implementation during the current construction season. This is generally true for the LOLE grants as well.

  • How long does the application review process take?

    The application review process takes approximately 90 days from the end of the submittal period to the release of the draft list of approved projects. However, the time period of review is subject to change by the Department depending on the number of submittals received as well as other factors.

  • How much funding will be available through the Local Levee Assistance Program- LLCR, LOLE, and total?

    Total funding for the Local Levee Grant Program for FY 2007-08 is $60 million- $40 million for LLCR grants and $20 million for LOLE grants. So far, about $8 million has been expended to fund projects. The remaining funds are already allocated to flood control projects. It is unclear whether the program will receive additional money to administer the program to new projects. DWR anticipates that there will be at least one additional rounds of funding, but to date no specific funding values have been determined.

  • What suggestions can DWR offer prospective applicants?

    Applicants are encouraged to join the FloodSAFE email mailing list and frequently check the FloodSAFE website for program updates and Project Solicitation Package advertisements. Applicants are reminded that their submitted applications must be complete. A precursor to evaluation of proposed levee projects is screening for applicant eligibility and application completeness. If either of these screening criteria is not met, the application will not move forward to the evaluation stage. This, along with all the other eligibility requirements and evaluation criteria, is noted in the Guidelines for the Local Levee Assistance Program and the associated appendices.

    DWR typically holds at least two public workshops to assist local agencies in completing applications. The location, date, and time of the proposed workshop(s) will be stated in the Project Solicitation Package application.

  • When does DWR expect to release the Proposal Solicitation Package (PSP) for the Local Levee Assistance Program?

    DWR released PSPs in March 2008 and September 2011. DWR does not anticipate the release of another PSP until late 2013. Interested parties are encouraged to visit the FloodSAFE web site regularly, because program information will be posted and updated frequently. In addition, DWR will directly notify members of the FloodSAFE email mailing list of program developments. To be added to the FloodSAFE distribution list, please submit contact information through the FloodSAFE email address: floodsafe@water.ca.gov, or you may call (916) 654-6640.

  • The crediting provisions of the draft Guidelines for the Local Levee Grant Program are somewhat confusing. Under what circumstances would DWR enter into a crediting agreement?

    Credit or reimbursement agreements may be executed by DWR to allow grantees to begin work immediately after a grant is awarded, but prior to the execution of a grant agreement. This is especially true for LLCR grants.

    For example, a grantee may receive a letter of commitment from DWR and be ready to immediately begin repairing its eroded or seepage-laden levee. However, extended negotiations for the grant agreement could cause unnecessary delay to local levee repair work, which could in turn prevent completion of the work before the coming flood season, thus leaving the communities protected by these levees at continued risk of flooding for another season.

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