A quick trip to the nation's capital last month was a productive one for Santa Maria's efforts to fix the Santa Maria River Levee, according to Mayor Larry Lavagnino.

“It went very well,” Lavagnino said of the Sept. 17-19 trip to Washington, D.C.

The intent of Lavagnino and Utilities Director Rick Sweet's journey was to thank the city's congressional representatives for their work to allocate money for the rehabilitation of the levee, gain favorable language in the National Flood Insurance Program renewal plan, and press the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to continue working on the levee project.

Lavagnino said the levee situation is now the “number one priority project” for Santa Maria's congressional delegation, and he predicted that the city would receive more than

$6 million from Congress to plan how to fix the levee.

The levee was built between 1959 and 1963 by the Corps as part of its Santa Maria Project, which also included Twitchell Dam and reservoir. Once completed, the levee was handed over to Santa Barbara County, and the Board of Supervisors oversees the flood control district.

The levee is made of river sand formed into a berm and fronted with an 18-inch rock face. However, the rock has been damaged almost every time the river fills with winter rain. If the rock washes away, there's nothing to keep the sand in place or keep the sand structure from failing.

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County officials have said levee deterioration is because of inadequate design by the Corps, not lack of maintenance by the county.

The last total levee breach was in 1998, west of the city limits.

After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Agency began examining flood maps across the country; it started revising its flood insurance study report for Santa Barbara County that September.

The long-delayed new version of maps outlining Santa Maria Valley areas where property owners would be required to purchase flood insurance could be available for review soon, according to a FEMA engineer.

Ray Lenaburg, the Oakland-based FEMA supervisor for the past two years for the revised flood insurance study (FIS) report that summarizes community flood hazards, said last month the maps would available for review by the end of September. The maps will not be finalized for at least a year, he said.

Lenaburg couldn't be reached for an update and Sweet said the hasn't received anything from FEMA on the release of the draft maps.

Before the new maps become effective, home and business owners who buy flood insurance can purchase it at both a lower cost and risk level, so the timing is important. The cost of flood insurance could vary from $320 to $2,000 per year.

Lavagnino and Sweet flew out of Santa Maria Airport early on the morning of Sept. 17 to Los Angeles and then to Washington - about a 10-hour trip. Along with Greg Burns, the city's lobbyist, Lavagnino and Sweet had nine half-hour-long meetings on Sept. 18 with a number of people including Central Coast congressional representatives Lois Capps and Elton Gallegly, staff members for senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein, and Ada Benavides of the Corps of Engineers.

They flew back to Santa Maria the next day.

Lavagnino said the levee is the “number one priority project” for the city's representatives in Congress.

“We're in very, very good shape,” he said.

The yet to be approved Water and Energy Appropriations Bill includes $6.5 million in the Senate draft version and $8 million in the House draft version for plans to fix the levee. Lavagnino predicted that the funding will be at least $6.8 million.

The city opposes language in the Senate version of the bill that would forgive $30 billion in standing debt and require all properties that are protected by levees, dams, or other manmade structures to buy some level of flood insurance.

However, the city supports the House version of the bill, which specifically includes a five-year period for reduced flood insurance premiums for communities bordering levees that have failed Corps certification. It also includes a study to assess liability of the current program and evaluations of possible solutions.

The Corps' draft Design Deficiency Report estimates a $50 million price tag to fix the five-mile section of the levee protecting the city. The deficiency report, however, has not made its way from the Corps' San Francisco office to Washington.

City officials have a copy, though, and the process is moving along, Lavagnino said.

“We're going to stay on them,” he added, and said city officials will probably make another trip to Washington in February.

Julian J. Ramos can be reached at 739-2219 or at jramos@santamariatimes.com.

October 20, 2008