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When the levees break: Relief cuts and flood management in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Lindsey Fransen, University of California, Berkeley
Jessica Ludy, University of California, Berkeley
Mary Matella, University of California, Berkeley
Term project for Landscape Architecture 222, Prof. G. Mathias Kondolf, University of California, Berkeley, Spring 2008. Hard copy available at the Water Resources Center Archives, UC Berkeley.
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ABSTRACT: The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is one of California’s most important geographic
regions. It supports significant agricultural, urban, and ecological systems and delivers water to
two-thirds of the state’s population, but faces extremely high risks of disaster. Largely below sea
level and supported by 1,100 miles of aging dikes and levees, the Delta system is subject to
frequent flooding. Jurisdictional and financial disincentives to better flood planning prevent
coordination that might otherwise reduce both costs and damages. This study highlights one
possible flood mitigation technique called a relief cut, which is an intentional break in a
downslope levee to allow water that has overtopped or breached an upslope levee to drain back
into the river. This flood management technique is "smart" when located in appropriate areas so
that floodwaters can be managed most efficiently and safely after a levee break.
We identify four key constraints and make four recommendations for flood management
planning. The constraints are: 1) Perception of flood risk -- The public believes that levees will
protect them from all flood events; 2) Perverse incentives -- For reclamation districts to finance
levee maintenance and flood planning, they must encourage development in flood risk areas to
collect assessment fees; 3) Litigation threat -- Agencies remain vulnerable to litigation after a
flood which is a disincentive for taking action because no one wants the blame; and 4)
Reimbursement uncertainty -- Historical flood accounts demonstrate local entities are not always
reimbursed for their expenditures which discourages quick action during a flood. We recommend
the following actions for agency officials to endorse and the public to support: 1) Acknowledge
that levees will fail and plan accordingly; 2) Explicitly plan for emergencies such as relief cuts
before the flood occurs; 3) Support interagency cooperation, and 4) Apply Full Cost Recovery
concept from the European Union Water Framework Directive.
SUGGESTED CITATION:
Lindsey Fransen, Jessica Ludy, and Mary Matella,
"When the levees break: Relief cuts and flood management in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta"
(May 16, 2008).
Water Resources Center Archives.
Hydrology.
Paper fransen.
http://repositories.cdlib.org/wrca/hydrology/fransen
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