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April 8, 2013 – Comment Period Opens for Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration for Delta Flood Emergency Facilities Improvement Project

The purpose of the Delta Flood Emergency Facilities Improvement Project (FIP)—a component of the Delta Flood Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Program (DFEPRRP)—is to ensure that State agencies have the appropriate infrastructure and supplies in the Delta to respond to and recover quickly and effectively from major flood or earthquake disasters in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. DWR intends to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the FIP following a 32-day review and comment period that begins on April 8, 2013, and ends on May 10, 2013. The Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration (PDF: 11 MB) is available for review and comment. Information about the public meeting and how to submit comments is available on the Facilities Improvement Project webpage.
April 8, 2013 - DWR and USACE to meet with interested parties about California's Flood Future Report

California’s Flood Future will be the topic of discussion at meetings with local flood and water management agencies throughout the state. On April 8, the California Department of Water Resources issued a list of the outreach meetings, which are open to the public. A public review draft of California’s Flood Future: Recommendations for Managing California’s Flood Risk was released on April 3 by DWR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). According to the report, $580 billion in assets are exposed to flood risk throughout the state, and 7 million Californians live in floodplains. The report includes seven recommendations intended to inform local, state, and federal decisions about flood management policies and financial investments to reduce flood risk.
For a list of the meeting dates and locations and to learn more about California’s Flood Future visit the Statewide Flood Management Planning website.
March 29, 2013 - DWR to present flood modeling tools at California Water and Environmental Modeling Forum

The California Department of Water Resources will be moderating a panel about flood modeling at the 2013 California Water and Environmental Modeling Forum (Forum). The flood modeling session will be presented on the second day of the of the Forum, Tuesday, April 23. The Forum provides an opportunity for participants to interact with the broader California modeling community, and the flood modeling session provides the opportunity to learn about latest developments in flood modeling tools used in California. For more registration information and a summary of sessions, please visit: http://www.cwemf.org/Activities/annualmtg.htm.
March 27, 2013 - DWR Releases Preliminary Funding Recommendations, Central Valley Flood System Conservation Framework & Strategy PSP

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is pleased to publicly release its preliminary funding recommendations to direct Proposition 1E funding to flood management projects and activities in support of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) and Conservation Strategy. The list can be viewed on the website www.water.ca.gov/floodsafe/fessro/floodway/conservation/ (the direct link is http://www.water.ca.gov/floodsafe/fessro/docs/flood24.pdf).

These funding recommendations are the result of the Central Valley Flood System Conservation Framework and Strategy’s first Proposal Solicitation Package (PSP) to be issued under its approved Funding Guidelines. The solicitation was a two-phase process which started with release of the PSP in September 2012, with concept proposals due in October 2012 and full proposals due in January 2013. A multi-agency Project Evaluation Team—comprised of personnel from DWR’s FloodSAFE Environmental Stewardship and Statewide Resources Office and Division of Flood Management, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service—met twice in February 2013 to evaluate the proposals and craft these initial funding recommendations.

The public is welcome to review and comment on these recommendations. Public comments can be submitted via e-mail to Lori Clamurro Chew, at lchew@water.ca.gov, or can be mailed to her at DWR, 901 P Street, Room 411A, Sacramento, CA 95814. All comments and feedback on these recommendations are due via e-mail by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 12, 2013; all comments submitted by mail must have a postmark date no later than April 12, 2013.
March 20, 2013 - DWR Releases Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (DPEIR) for the Small Erosion Repair Program

DWR has released the DPEIR for the Small Erosion Repair Program (SERP). DWR is implementing the SERP, a streamlined regulatory review and authorization process that will facilitate implementation of annual repairs of small erosion sites on levees within the Sacramento River Flood Control Project area. The SERP will use programmatic authorizations, issued by federal and state agencies with regulatory obligations associated with erosion repair projects, to streamline the process for implementing small erosion repairs in accordance with conservation-based design and monitoring standards. Projects that qualify under the SERP would be eligible to receive authorization within a shortened time frame because they would be designed to minimize effects on fish and wildlife resources, including listed species, and to protect and enhance the existing aquatic and riparian habitats comprising the riverine corridor.

For the initial 5-year SERP effort covered under the DPEIR, the coverage area would represent approximately 300 miles of levees maintained by DWR in Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Placer, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties.

The DPEIR identifies impacts of the proposed project in the following areas that would be potentially significant or significant before mitigation: air quality and climate change, cultural resources, and noise. The DPEIR also identifies mitigation strategies that would reduce all potentially significant or significant impacts to a less than significant level.

A PDF of the DPEIR is available at http://www.water.ca.gov/floodmgmt/fmo/msb/smallerosionrepairs.cfm.
The DPEIR is available for public review and comment for a 45-day period starting Wednesday, March 20, 2013, and ending Friday, May 3, 2013. Written comments must be sent by e-mail or postmarked no later Friday, May 3, 2013, to:

Mr. Jeff Schuette
Division of Flood Management
Department of Water Resources
3310 El Camino Ave, Suite 140
Sacramento, CA 95821
jeff.schuette@water.ca.gov

DWR will also conduct a public meeting regarding the DPEIR:

Friday, April 19, 2013
3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
The Resources Building
1416 9th Street
1st floor Auditorium
Sacramento, CA 95814

March 15, 2013 - March 2013 Issue of FloodSAFE Focus Now Available
March 7, 2013 - DWR Solicits Applicants to Rural Levee Repair Criteria Work Group

The Department of Water Resources’ Flood Maintenance Office has announced formation of a technical work group to assist in the development of repair criteria for levees in rural-agricultural areas in the Central Valley.

Interested parties with expertise in this subject are invited to apply to participate in the Rural Levee Repair Criteria (RLRC) Work Group. The RLRC Work Group will include DWR staff, Central Valley Flood Protection Board member(s) and staff, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers representatives, and interested parties with applicable subject-matter expertise. To download and submit an application, and review the RLRC Work Group Charter and other related information, visit the RLRC website at: http://www.water.ca.gov/floodmgmt/fmo/rlrc/.

The deadline to submit applications is March 25, 2013. Applications may be submitted via e-mail to dave.wheeldon@water.ca.gov, or to Dave Wheeldon, Department of Water Resources, Flood Maintenance Office, 3310 El Camino Ave., Suite 140, Sacramento, CA 95821.

March 5, 2013 - Orientation Briefings Scheduled for March 19 and 21

You are invited to attend an on-line orientation briefing about the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) next steps for implementing the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP), which was adopted by the Central Valley Flood Protection Board in 2012. The orientation will provide information regarding development of two Basin-wide Feasibility Studies (BWFS) that incorporate the Central Valley Flood System Conservation Strategy (CS). Two sessions, both with the same agenda, will be offered. Briefing information follows:

Please register in advance

Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Time: 9:30-11:15 AM PDT
Registration: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/151739322

Date: Thursday, March 21, 2013
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:45 PM PDT
Registration: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/441364826

Audio information will be provided at the time of registration.

If you would like to continue to receive emails and other information about the DWR BWFS-CS effort, you may subscribe to a mailing list being developed for that purpose. Sign up is very easy at this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SUBSCRIBE2

An agenda for the orientation briefing and other information about the CVFPP activities will be posted at: http://www.water.ca.gov/cvfmp/

Registration for the on-line sessions takes a few minutes, so it is recommended you sign up in advance.

BWFS-CS Facilitation Team

February 26, 2013 - Registration Opens for Integrated Water Management Summit

Explore a vision for the future at a half-day Integrated Water Management Summit in Sacramento, April 3, 2013. The Summit provides a unique opportunity to build understanding about California's commitment to improve public safety, foster environmental stewardship, and support economic stability using a holistic approach. The event will include discussions about:

Challenges and opportunities that exist in flood, ecosystem and water management
IWM implementation and innovative thinking
Improving public safety, fostering environmental stewardship, and supporting economic stability through IWM
Alignment of plans, policies, regulations and governance
Promoting resiliency of water management investments
Long-term strategies for sustainable IWM funding

Panel discussions will consider how leaders from a variety of disciplines can effectively work together to maximize benefits and explore the statewide investment needed to advance integrated water management. We will be joined by special keynote guest speakers:

John Laird, Secretary, Natural Resources Agency
Mark Cowin, Director, Department of Water Resources
Lester Snow, Director, California Water Foundation Program
Steve Stockton, Director of Civil Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Registration for the Summit is $95 and includes an afternoon coffee break and networking reception.

For questions, please contact: info@watereducation.org or call (916) 444-6240.

To register for the Summit, please go to: www.iwmsummit.org

The Summit is being co-sponsored by the Department of Water Resources and Water Education Foundation, in partnership with the California Water Commission. The Summit will be followed by the Integrated Regional Water Management Conference, April 4-5, 2013. For more information about the IRWM Conference, please go to: www.irwmconference.org.

February 12, 2013 - Guidelines Now Available for Flood Emergency Response Statewide Grant

The California Department of Water Resources is pleased to announce that the Flood Emergency Response Projects – Statewide grant guidelines have been posted on its website. This grant is designed to provide funding for local emergency responders outside of the legal Delta to improve their preparedness and response.

The 60-day application period will end on April 5, 2013.

More information about the program is available on the Flood ER Grant Programs website, or you can contact Patricia Clark at Patricia.Clark@water.ca.gov.

January 30, 2013 - Save-the-Date for Integrated Water Management Summit and Integrated Regional Water Management Conference (April 3-5, 2013)

Explore a vision for the future at a half-day Integrated Water Management Summit in Sacramento, April 3, 2013. Summit participants will engage in innovative and robust discussions about the challenges and opportunities that exist in flood, ecosystem, and water management. An Integrated Regional Water Management Conference will follow the Summit on April 4-5. Conference participants will further explore how we can transform the water management culture and advance integrated water management in California. The IWM Summit and IRWM Conference will launch DWR’s new Water 360 initiative.

The events are being co-sponsored by the Department of Water Resources and Water Education Foundation, in partnership with the California Water Commission. For questions, please contact: info@watereducation.org or call 916-444-6240. Additional information about the Summit and Conference will be sent in the coming weeks.

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