[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 7, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E155-E156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING CALIFORNIA'S VITAL FLOOD PROTECTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN GARAMENDI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 7, 2017

  Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the investments 
in flood control infrastructure made by local flood control agencies in 
California, as well as by the State itself. Water in California is 
feast or famine. For the last five years we have had a famine, and now 
we have a feast.
  During the massive California floods of 1997, 9 lives were lost, 
120,000 people were evacuated and roughly 23,000 homes and businesses 
were damaged across the state. The greater Sacramento area, part of 
which I represent, is the 2nd most flood prone region in the United 
States, behind only New Orleans. Mr. Speaker, my constituents take 
flood protection very seriously.
  Because of this, there are many local agencies spearheading critical 
projects throughout my district that I'd like to recognize, including 
the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency, the Yuba County Water Agency, 
the Marysville Levee District, the City of Woodland, the City of West 
Sacramento, Reclamation District 2140, the State of California, and the 
Central Valley Flood Protection Board. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
has also played a pivotal role in all of these projects and should be 
commended.
  Mr. Speaker, floods do not recognize the boundaries of congressional 
districts. Therefore, Congressman LaMalfa and Congresswoman Matsui 
should also be praised for their work on flood control as many of the 
projects undertaken by the agencies I mentioned have a footprint in all 
of our districts.
  There is no question that investment in flood control pays dividends. 
In 2006, California voters passed Proposition 1E which provided $4.09 
billion in flood control infrastructure. To date, almost all of that 
funding has been allocated. These bonds, in tandem with investment from 
local flood control agencies and the federal government, have funded 
significant improvements in many, but not all of, the levees that 
protect my constituents.
  Those improvements were highlighted this winter, when almost all of 
the state's rivers and reservoirs were filled to capacity. Statewide 
rainfall between October and December of 2016 was 143 percent of the 
historical average while combined inflows to California's reservoirs 
were the 2nd highest in recorded history. Yet the levees held and we 
were able to avoid any major flooding.

[[Page E156]]

  Given all of this, Mr. Speaker, I stand here today to urge my 
colleagues and the new Administration to continue to prioritize federal 
investment in flood control infrastructure.

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