[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 14 (Thursday, January 31, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S441-S442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mrs. Boxer):
  S. 197. A bill to authorize improvements to flood damage reduction 
facilities adjacent to the American and Sacramento Rivers near 
Sacramento, California, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to reintroduce the 
Natomas Basin Flood Protection Improvements Act of 2013.
  This legislation authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to 
improve the flood control infrastructure in the Sacramento area. The 
improvements will safeguard hundreds of thousands of homes and 
businesses.
  There is a pressing need to improve levees in Sacramento.
  The Army Corps perpetually cites the city as one of our nation's most 
at-risk for severe flooding. A quick review of the Corps' National 
Levee Database will tell you why. Of the nearly 300 miles of levees 
within 10 miles of Sacramento the Corps has deemed 94 miles of levees, 
or 32 percent, ``unacceptable.'' An unacceptable designation means the 
levee is deficient to the point where it does not provide the 
protection it is supposed to.
  The Corps has deemed 29 miles of levees, only 10 percent, ``minimally 
acceptable.''
  The Corps has yet to even review the remaining 172 miles, 58 percent.
  None of the 300 miles of levees within 10 miles of Sacramento 
received the passing grade of ``acceptable.''
  But even in this high-risk city, there are priority areas. And the 
Natomas basin, which lies between the American and Sacramento rivers, 
is the top priority for Sacramento flood control.
  More than 100,000 people in the Natomas flood plain are at high or 
moderate risk of flooding.
  The vast majority of these homes would be inundated with more than 10 
feet of water should a levee break.
  In some places, inundation levels would exceed 20 feet.
  The risks are clear. The Army Corps of Engineers estimates the damage 
from a single flood could top $7 billion.
  Recognizing the need to upgrade the Natomas levees, the Corps of 
Engineers completed a Chief's Report in December 2010 that identified 
$1.1 billion in essential levee improvements.
  According to the report, the principal levee modifications include 
the widening of 41.9 miles of existing levees; installation of about 
34.8 miles of soil bentonite cutoff wall; installation of 8.3 miles of 
seepage berms, and bridge remediation on State Route 99.
  In addition, the report recommends the creation of 75 acres of canal 
habitat, 200 acres of marsh habitat, and 60 acres of woodland habitat 
to ensure the project complies with the Endangered Species Act.
  The cost of these improvements will be significant, but the burden 
will be shared.
  Understanding the urgency of this work, the Sacramento Area Flood 
Control Agency, SAFCA, and the California Department of Water Resources 
have begun work on the levee. They have invested more than $400 million 
in the Natomas Basin project, far more than their share, and completed 
about 18 miles of the basin's 42 miles of levees.
  I want to recognize SAFCA and the people of Sacramento for this good 
work. They have done the right thing, moving ahead before the federal 
authorization, because people's lives and property are in danger.
  I am proud to say the people of Sacramento have really stepped up and 
contributed. On two occasions county voters approved special tax 
assessments to begin paying for the repairs on the levee system, first 
in 2007 and again in 2011.
  The most recent assessment passed overwhelmingly with 84.5 percent of 
voters supporting the measure.
  This kind of local commitment should be a model for the Nation. When 
such major vulnerabilities exist that threaten a community, it is 
imperative to act quickly.
  If the Sacramento levees fail, the results will be devastating 
Sacramento International Airport, which serves 4.4 million passengers 
per year and is the primary air-cargo hub for the region, will be 
largely underwater.
  Interstate 5, Interstate 80 and State Route 99 will be closed or 
restricted. These roads serve as freight arteries and facilitate the 
passage of more than 2,500 trucks per day.
  Access to the Port of West Sacramento, the city's primary seaport, 
will be jeopardized.
  Just months ago Super-storm Sandy slammed into the East Coast. The 
destruction in New York and New Jersey reminded us that unpredictable 
weather events can overwhelm our infrastructure with devastating 
consequences.
  But with well-placed timely investments, much of worst damage can be 
averted. That's why even during the worst economic downturns in a 
generation, Sacramento voters stood together and passed the local tax-
measure to fund this critical project.
  We don't know when the next flood will occur, but we do know 
Sacramento has a well-documented history of catastrophic flooding.
  Record-breaking storms hit the region in 1956, 1964, 1986 and 1997.
  During the 1997 storm, levee failures in the nearby cities of 
Olivehurst, Arboga, Wilton, Manteca and Modesto caused mass evacuations 
and millions of dollars in damage.
  Going back even further, an even more devastating flood in 1861 
occurred when the American River Levee failed. California's newly 
elected Governor, Leland Stanford, was forced to take a row-boat to his 
inauguration at the State Capitol. The flooding was so bad the state 
government was temporarily relocated to San Francisco.
  U.S. Geological Survey scientists now believe that the 1861 storm may 
have been an atmospheric river storm, or ``ARkStorm.'' These events, 
which occur every 200 to 400 years, can produce truly devastating 
floods.
  In 2011, the USGS conducted a study about the impacts of a large 
ARkStorm in California's Central Valley. The results were shocking.

[[Page S442]]

  The storm would cause a 300 mile long, 20 mile wide flood zone across 
much of our nation's most productive agriculture lands. It would force 
the evacuation of 1.5 million residents and cause hundreds of 
landslides damaging roads, highways, and homes. The study estimates the 
cost to private homeowners and businesses would be $725 billion, nearly 
three times the cost of a major earthquake in the State.
  The bottom line is this: the infrastructure currently in place will 
not stand up to a storm of this magnitude.
  And the Natomas Basin Flood Protection Improvements Act of 2011 is 
one small step toward preparing for such a disaster.
  This legislation is nearly identical to the bill I introduced with my 
friend and colleague Senator Boxer, the Chairwoman of the Environment 
and Public Works Committee, last Congress. The only change is that the 
current bill does not include language from the previous bill that 
specifically allowed ``credits'' for non-federal work on the project.
  This modification should not be interpreted to reflect a change my 
support for the work of the local entities; I believe they have done 
the right thing by beginning construction on this project, and I 
support them receiving credit for their work.
  Instead, the modification was included to comport with work being 
done by Chairwoman Boxer on the upcoming Water Resources Development 
Act, or WRDA. That bill will generically address non-Federal crediting 
provisions and I will work with Chairman Boxer to ensure that 
Sacramento can still receive credits for the work they have completed.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 197

       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 ``Natomas Basin Flood 
     Protection Improvements Act of 2013''.

     SEC. 2. PROJECT MODIFICATION, AMERICAN AND SACRAMENTO RIVERS, 
                   CALIFORNIA.

       The project for flood damage reduction, American and 
     Sacramento Rivers, California, authorized by section 
     101(a)(1) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 
     (Public Law 104-303; 110 Stat. 3662; 113 Stat. 319; 117 Stat. 
     1839; 121 Stat. 1947), is modified to authorize the Secretary 
     of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to 
     construct improvements to flood damage reduction facilities 
     adjacent to the American and Sacramento Rivers in the 
     vicinity of Sacramento, California, substantially in 
     accordance with the report of the Chief of Engineers entitled 
     ``American River Watershed (Common Features) Project, Natomas 
     Basin, Sacramento and Sutter Counties, California'', and 
     dated December 30, 2010, at an estimated total cost of 
     $1,389,500,000, with an estimated Federal cost of 
     $921,200,000 and an estimated non-Federal cost of 
     $468,300,000.
                                 ______