Floodplain Management Plan, Butte County Is Better Prepared to Engage in These Discussions
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BBUUTTTTEE CCRREEEEKK WWAATTEERRSSHHEEDD FFLLOOOODDPPLLAAIINN MMAANNAAGGEEMMEENNTT PPLLAANN Prepared for: The Butte Creek Watershed Conservancy In Partnership with: Butte County Funded in Part by: The California Bay-Delta Authority May 2005 Prepared by: FOREWARD Floodplains and development in floodplains have been at the forefront of much public debate as a result of very high profile events: The Jones Tract levee failure in 2003 during the non-flood season; the Paterno Decision that found the State of California responsible for failure of the Linda levee on the Yuba River in 1986; the Arreola v. Monterey County Decision of July 2002, holding local entities responsible for the 1995 flood damages caused by poor maintenance on the Pajaro River Project; and the Plumas Lakes issues more recently in Yuba County. This debate will continue as the pressure to develop to accommodate California’s rapidly increasing population will target low-lying Valley lands, i.e., floodplains. At the same time, the regulatory process for dealing with flood protection has the public believing that if they have 100-year level of protection they are “safe.” The fact that our record for hydrologic events is short is often overlooked. We have the benefit of being reminded of this fact every few years as we have the opportunity to experience more severe storms, thus providing the necessity to revisit our hydrology. The peak flow in Butte Creek in January 1997, of 37,500 cfs, put the FEMA 100- year flow of 30,000 cfs in perspective. Important at that time is the fact that the Butte Creek Flood Control System, designed and constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950’s to handle 40,000 cfs with water at the top of the levee contained the 37,500 cfs with water lapping at the levee crown in a few locations. In January 2005, the California Department of Water Resources published a report, commonly referred to as the White Paper, proposed a number of recommendations that should be of interest to Butte County that pertain to improving maintenance of flood control projects, creating the California Flood Insurance Fund, establishing a Central Valley Flood Control Assessment District, and encouraging FEMA to mandate flood insurance for homes protected by levees. With the completion of its Butte Creek Floodplain Management Plan, Butte County is better prepared to engage in these discussions. The floodplains within the Butte Creek watershed are extensive. The majority are the product of hypothetical levee failures with overtopping of channel banks accounting for smaller areas. With time, Butte County will receive increasing pressure to develop within the floodplain protected by levees. The commitment of Butte County to not increase the risk to people, property, and livestock will continue to be tested. ii Foreward May 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWARD............................................................................................................................. ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................... x SECTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................1-1 Background ................................................................................................................................ 1-1 Physical Features .....................................................................................................................1-1 Climate.....................................................................................................................................1-2 Population and Economy.........................................................................................................1-2 Butte Creek Watershed Overview............................................................................................1-2 Waterways that Affect Flow in Butte Creek............................................................................1-4 Butte Creek Fish and Wildlife Restoration .............................................................................1-5 Purpose of the Floodplain Management Plan .........................................................................1-6 Existing Butte County Floodplain Regulations.......................................................................1-7 SECTION 2.0 PLANNING PROCESS............................................................2-1 Public Involvement .................................................................................................................... 2-1 Agency Coordination.................................................................................................................2-3 Local Capability Assessment ....................................................................................................2-3 SECTION 3.0 RISK ASSESSMENT ...............................................................3-1 Flood Hazards ............................................................................................................................ 3-1 FEMA FIRMs ..........................................................................................................................3-1 Local Drainage Flooding .........................................................................................................3-9 Bridges ...................................................................................................................................3-10 Levee Failure .........................................................................................................................3-10 Dam Failure ...........................................................................................................................3-10 Land Use Planning.................................................................................................................3-12 Assessing Watershed Vulnerability: Identifying Assets......................................................3-12 Identifying Assets ..................................................................................................................3-12 Critical Facilities....................................................................................................................3-12 Assessing Watershed Vulnerability: Estimating Potential Losses .....................................3-13 Flood Insurance Premiums and Claims .................................................................................3-21 iii Table of Contents May 2005 Repetitive Losses ...................................................................................................................3-21 Damage Survey Reports ........................................................................................................3-23 Potential Losses Estimate ......................................................................................................3-23 Flood Hazard Areas Potential Economic Losses...................................................................3-26 Summary...................................................................................................................................3-26 SECTION 4.0 MITIGATION MEASURES....................................................4-1 Roles and Responsibilities .........................................................................................................4-1 Butte Creek.................................................................................................................................4-4 Little Chico Creek-Butte Creek Diversion Channel.............................................................4-11 Little Chico Creek..................................................................................................................4-14 Butte Creek Watershed ...........................................................................................................4-17 Summary...................................................................................................................................4-19 SECTION 5.0 FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL REQUIREMENTS ......5-1 SECTION 6.0 ACTION PROGRAM...............................................................6-1 Action Item A. Updated Hydrologic and Hydraulic Analyses............................................. A-1 Action Item B. Butte Creek Levee System Geotechnical Study .......................................... B-1 Action Item C. Channel Maintenance Program for Little Chico Creek ............................ C-1 Action Item D. Butte County Drainage Criteria and City of Chico Storm Drainage Master Plan Update ............................................................................................................................... D-1 Action Item E. Bridge Replacement/Modification................................................................ E-1 Action Item F. Emergency Preparedness ...............................................................................F-1 Action Item G. Land Use Planning ........................................................................................G-1 Action Item H. Public Education and Awareness Programs...............................................H-1 Action Item I. Establish an Implementation Committee ...................................................... I-1 REFERENCES ACRONYMS GLOSSARY iv Table of Contents May 2005 TABLES TABLE 2-1 BUTTE CREEK WATERSHED FMP CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES ............................2-4 TABLE 2-2 BUTTE