Doris Matsui: “the conference report for S. 640, the Water Resources Development Act, contains several important provisions for the…”

“the conference report for S. 640, the Water Resources Development Act, contains several important provisions for the area that I represent. There is no doubt that these steps will improve the flood control system for the city of Sacramento and afford a level of additional safety to the citizens of my district. Despite the inclusion of these provisions, I would note with grave disappointment that with the final approval of this conference report, another Corps of Engineers authorization will have passed the Congress without inclusion of a comprehensive plan to address the severe flood threat facing the Sacramento area. As a result, 400,000 people in Sacramento will continue to face an unacceptable threat of flooding. Our flood control system will be able to achieve the 100-year protection level established as an actuarial baseline by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Nonetheless, it will be far short of what is tolerable for a highly urbanized area like Sacramento. Given the very short warning period that Sacramento would have before a flood event occurred, this threat is more than just a matter of tremendous economic risk for our region. Lives will continue to be unnecessarily at risk until a comprehensive plan for protecting Sacramento from the American River is authorized and constructed.”