[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 25, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S2710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER (for herself and Mrs. Feinstein):
  S. 444. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Army to carry out a 
project for flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration for the 
American River, Sacramento, California, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am introducing a bill to improve 
flood protection for Sacramento, CA. The flood control project 
authorized by this bill has been evaluated by the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers and will be conducted in accordance with the Report of the 
Chief of Engineers dated November 5, 2002. This is a companion bill to 
one that Representative Matsui is introducing today in the House.
  Currently, Sacramento has woefully inadequate flood protection. This 
bill would raise the existing walls of Folsom Dam by seven feet, which 
would substantially increase flood protection for the Sacramento 
region. Without this improvement, $40 billion of property, including 
the California State Capitol, 6 major hospitals, 26 nursing home 
facilities, over 100 schools, three major freeway systems, and 
approximately 160,000 homes and apartments, are at risk if there is a 
devastating flood.
  For a city of its size, Sacramento falls shockingly below the flood 
protection that it deserves. The Folsom Mini-Raise is the critical next 
step in providing Sacramento necessary flood protection, enabling the 
system to handle storms far larger than any recorded event in the 
American River Watershed.
  Previous plans to raise the level of the Folsom Dam called for the 
building of a temporary bridge to handle the traffic that would be 
disrupted while the Folsom Dam Road was closed during the construction 
project. Security concerns now warrant an indefinite closure of the 
Folsom Dam Road.
  So, in addition to authorizing the Mini-Raise, this bill authorizes 
the U.S. Department of Transportation to work with the State of 
California to design and construct a permanent bridge west of and 
adjacent to Folsom Dam over the American River to replace the current 
two-lane road over the dam. It will alleviate security concerns by 
moving traffic away from the dam while still providing the thousands of 
area commuters with a reliable means of transportation across the 
river.
  This bill would provide important safeguards to the people of one of 
the fastest growing areas in the Nation. By raising Folsom Dam and 
replacing the road across the dam, we can greatly increase public 
safety in the Sacramento area. I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 444

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Sacramento Public Safety Act 
     of 2003''.

     SEC. 2. FLOOD DAMAGE REDUCTION AND ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION, 
                   AMERICAN RIVER, CALIFORNIA.

       The Secretary of the Army is authorized to carry out the 
     project for flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration, 
     American River, Sacramento, California, substantially in 
     accordance with the plans, and subject to the conditions, 
     described in the Report of the Chief of Engineers for the 
     project dated November 5, 2002.

     SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION OF PERMANENT BRIDGE ADJACENT TO FOLSOM 
                   DAM.

       (a) In General.--As part of the project authorized by 
     section 2, the Secretary of Transportation shall carry out a 
     project to design and construct a bridge west of and adjacent 
     to Folsom Dam, California. In carrying out the project, the 
     Secretary shall also construct necessary linkages from the 
     bridge to existing roadways.
       (b) Design and Construction.--In designing and constructing 
     the bridge, the Secretary shall--
       (1) coordinate with the Secretary of the Army regarding the 
     project authorized by section 2; and
       (2) provide appropriate sizing and linkages to support 
     present and future traffic flow requirements for the city of 
     Folsom, California.
       (c) Grant Assistance.--The Secretary of Transportation 
     shall make a grant to the State of California in an amount 
     sufficient to pay not less than 80 percent of the cost of the 
     project authorized by this section.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise in support of the legislation 
being introduced by my colleague from California the Sacramento Public 
Safety Act.
  This Bill would authorize flood control protection and ecosystem 
restoration through a Mini-Raise of the Folsom Dam as well as authorize 
the design and construction of a permanent bridge to replace the road 
that currently runs on top of the Dam.
  Providing Sacramento with flood protection is a critical public 
safety need. Further delays only serve to expand opportunities for a 
catastrophic flood.
  No urban area in the United States is at higher risk of flooding than 
Sacramento, CA.
  Located at the confluence of two major rivers, the American and 
Sacramento, the floodplain is home to half-a-million residents, $40 
billion in property, 5,000 businesses and the necessary supporting 
infrastructure, all of which has less than 100-year flood protection.
  With more than $30 billion in damageable property in the floodplain, 
the Corps of Engineers has estimated the damage from a flood would 
range from a minimum of $7 billion to as much as $15 billion.
  As one of the largest economic engines in the world, a flood in 
California's capital city would effectively shut down the State's 
government and seriously disrupt regional commerce and transportation.
  The Mini-Raise will provide Sacramento with a 213-year level of 
protection. It will allow the system to safely handle a storm 50 
percent larger than anything ever recorded in the 3,000-year history of 
the American River Watershed; it will add 95,000 acre-feet of new 
emergency flood storage capacity to allow operators to control dam 
outflows in accordance to what the downstream levees can safely carry; 
it will bring Folsom Dam into compliance with Federal Dam safety 
standards; it will restore wildlife habitat along the Lower American 
River; and it will improve conditions for naturally spawning Steelhead 
and Salmon by mechanizing temperature control shutters.
  The project has wide support at Federal, State, and local level. It 
is supported by the Army Corp of Engineers and funded in the Bush 
administration's budget request.
  The project has bi-partisan support in Congress including Republican 
Congressman Pombo, as well as Democrats: Robert Matsui, George Miller, 
Mike Thompson, and Ellen Tauscher.
  It has the local support of Heather Fargo, Mayor of Sacramento; 
Deborah Ortiz, California State Senator; Darrell Steinberg, California 
Assemblyman; Illa Collin, Chairman of the Sacramento County Board of 
Supervisors; Butch Hodkins, Executive Director of the Sacramento Area 
Flood Control Agency; Karolyn W. Simon, President of American River 
Flood Control Alliance; Donald Gerth, California State University, 
Sacramento; and Vicki Lee, Conservation Chair of the Sierra Club.
  The bill also calls for a permanent bridge to replace the road that 
currently runs atop Folsom Dam. Given the recent announcement by the 
Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of the Interior to close the 
road over the Dam, the need for such a bridge has become doubly 
important. This bridge will serve the needs of nearly 20,000 commuters 
who use the Folsom Dam Road every day.
  I want to thank my colleague from California for introducing this 
critical piece of legislation and I ask for support from the rest of 
the Senate.
                                 ______