Congressman Lungren's flood control position includes Auburn Dam

[speicher]

Here is a response to a letter I sent asking that the Auburn Dam not be considered for flood control in Sacramento but that instead levees be fortified and added to.
I'll keep you posted on his response to my question about N.O.'s levees not being maintained and the flood control they had actually being adequate had the levees been built properly.

Dear Mr. Speicher,

I appreciate your letter and your thoughts on flood control in the Sacramento region. It is important that local, state and federal entities work together so that the people of Northern California can be protected and safe from devastating floods. At the same time, I believe it is the job of the government to also do what is fiscally responsible for the people.

I have co-signed a letter along with Senators Feinstein, Boxer and Representatives Matsui, Herger and Thompson, requesting Federal assistance to increase flood protection in Northern California . Sacramento is currently under an 85-year flood protection plan and my colleagues and I are looking to increase it to a 200-year flood protection plan. This will be achieved by raising the Folsom Dam and strengthening the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta levee system. These changes will aide in protecting the people of Northern California as well as maintaining a safe supply of drinking water for the whole State.

Still, even with these measures in place, Sacramento will have only achieved 200-year flood protection. As you may know, New Orleans , with a population of 484,674 as of the 2000 census, had a flood protection plan of 250 at the time of Hurricane Katrina. The population that could potentially be affected by a similar disaster in the Sacramento area would be much larger, with the 2005 estimate at nearly 1.4 million. The river cities of Tacoma , St. Louis , Dallas , and Kansas City each have flood protection levels of 500 years.

I believe in order to achieve the amount of flood protection necessary for the Sacramento Area, it may be necessary to have more than just the protection that can be achieved with modifications to the Folsom Dam. I have proposed the building of the Auburn Dam as a means of obtaining the level of flood protection needed to protect the people of Northern California from the type of catastrophic flood damage that resulted from Hurricane Katrina. I recognize that there are drawbacks to the Auburn Dam in that it would impact recreation and wildlife in the area. Still, the health and safety of the people who live in and around the flood plains is my primary concern. Auburn Dam would offer a 400-year protection plan, twice that which could be achieved with modifications to the Folsom Dam.

Again, thank you for taking a few moments to share your views with me. I look forward to discussing this or any other issue affecting our 3rd Congressional District with you in the future. For upcoming Town Hall meetings, or for information on issues or legislation pending before Congress, please visit my website at www.lungren.house.gov. If you need assistance with a federal matter, please call my Gold River office at (916) 859-9906. My staff and I are always available to address your concerns, answer your questions, and listen to your ideas.

Sincerely,

Daniel E. Lungren
Member of Congress

Note: Please do not respond directly to this e-mail. To better serve the constituents of the Third District I have established a Feedback Form on my website. If you wish to contact me with any concerns, I would ask that you please utilize the following link and I will respond shortly (http://www.house.gov/lungren/feedback.shtml).