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Legislative Activity. Levee Safety and Flood Mapping Texas Water Conservation Association Mid-Year Conference Galveston Island, Texas June 17, 2011 Dan Delich. Levee Issues Alliance. Critical Infrastructure. Corps projects prevented damages of $29.5 Billion in 2009 - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Legislative Activity
Levee Safety and Flood Mapping
Texas Water Conservation Association
Mid-Year Conference
Galveston Island, Texas
June 17, 2011
Dan Delich
Levee Issues Alliance
Critical Infrastructure
Corps projects prevented damages of $29.5 Billion in 2009
Between 1928-2009… the flood damage reduction benefit to cost ratio was 7:1
FY 2003-present: Nearly $2B in FEMA appropriations to update maps
August 2005 Hurricane Katrina: “The wake-up call we
cannot ignore,” National Committee on Levee Safety (NCLS, June 2009)
-- February 2007: USACE releases 30-state list of 146 federal program levees rated as “Unacceptable”-- November 2007: WRDA ‘07 authorizes NCLS and orders nationwide levee inspection and inventory -- February 2009: USACE releases 16-state list of 114 federal program levees rated as “Unacceptable”
“Unacceptable” implications include… P.L.84-99 ineligibility FEMA Levee Deaccreditation Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) designation
• Mandatory flood insurance• Development restrictions • Losses in property value… economic competitiveness… jobs
and local tax base
“The Perfect Storm”
Levee Issues Alliance
Impacted Areas of Texas
Brazoria County
Jefferson County
Matagorda County
El Paso County
City of Irving
City of Dallas
City of Fort Worth
“Unacceptable “for O/M
“Federal taxpayers already have paid to
rebuild many levees that failed in floods
because of poor maintenance. For years, the
Corps has been threatening to kick them out
of the (rehabilitation) program, but never
really did. Now, the Corps is doing the right
thing.”
Larry LarsonDirector, Association of State Floodplain
ManagersUSA Today, February 23, 2009
Alamosa, Colorado
● Listed on 2/1/09 Corps “Unacceptable” O/M
list
- VFZ non-compliant: tree growth
● $7.1M project – 75% Federal – 25% non-
Federal
● Fully authorized by Congress
● Designed and constructed by the Corps…
● New vegetation maintenance standards
● O/M rules now 70 pages (vs. 5 previously)
Metro East, Illinois
Built in 1940s – 1950s to protect against 500-
year flood
No Failures
Army Corps concerned about underseepage
Madison, St. Claire, Monroe Counties, Illinois
155,000 residents; 7000 businesses; 55,000
jobs
$160 million – 5-year, locally funded project
proposed
Timing of Army Corps approval? FEMA map
revisions?
A collection of P.L.84-99 levee sponsors and affected communities from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Illinois working to fulfill one mission…
EARN MORE TIME…
to bring levees and floodwalls up to new federal standards.
Levee Issues Alliance
Levee Issues Alliance
112th Congress
Levee Issues Alliance
“Flood Insurance Reform Act”
Up to three-year delay of the effective date for mandatory flood insurance for existing (non-improved) structures in new SFHAs
No relief on new SFHA land use restrictions or in cases where loan modifications occur Restrictions on new development No waiver of Mandatory FI requirement if “making,
extending, increasing, renewing” loan with any lender
Losses in property value, economic competitiveness, jobs and local tax base
Approved by Financial Services Committee (5/12/11)
Biggert (R-IL), H.R. 1309
Levee Issues Alliance
Prohibits updated flood maps/mandatory flood insurance/development restrictions on an annual basis for up to seven years in places where:
Local repair plan, accompanied by an adequate financing mechanism, is in place to protect against 1% annual chance flood
Local surveillance and operations plan has been implemented…Evacuation plan is in place
Outreach and communications plan to advise of risks and opportunity to purchase flood insurance has been implemented
Financial Services Committee
Costello (D-IL), H.R. 898
Levee Issues Alliance
112th Congress
Levee Issues Alliance
…Congressional and/or Administration prerogatives to:
(a)accurately map US flood zones
(b)address the $18B FEMA deficit and
(c)better verify location/sufficiency of levees…
need not conflict with our objectives to:
(1) Reduce physical risk
(2) Incentivize repairs and
(3) Ameliorate local economic and property
value losses
“Flood protection comes in multiple forms,
one form is insurance and one form is flood
control structures… FEMA and the Corps
cannot wholly dismiss existing infrastructure
and just force people to spend hundreds of
dollars a year on flood insurance.”
U.S. Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR)March 18, 2010
