Fixing the Dams and Our Whole Water Infrastructure System

California Groundbreakers

After the epic winter of 2017, we all know what the term "atmospheric river" means, and what a "spillway" is. Now we're about to learn more about the state of our aging levees and crumbling dams; how (or if) they can be repaired; how much will that all cost; and who's supposed to pay that particular water bill. Our good group of panelists explain what repairs are needed to our massive water infrastructure system to keep the Central Valley from turning back into the inland sea it used to be, and what local and state government have planned if/when we go back to drought. PANELISTS * James Gallagher, California Assemblyman representing the 3rd District, which includes the Oroville Dam * Leslie Gallagher, executive officer of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board * Brent Hastey, director of the Yuba County Water Agency, and a board director for the Association of California Water Agencies * Jay Lund, executive director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis * Michael Mierzwa, lead flood management planner at the California Department of Water Resources PODCAST TIMEFRAME 0 to 4:15 min - Intro to California Groundbreakeras 4:15 min - Panelists introduce themselves 14 min - Lessons learned by the Department of Water Resources after the Oroville Dam break 17:35 min - Status report on the Central Valley levees 23:30 min - How is the state legislature thinking about water-infrastructure fixes? 32:30 min - Can we breathe easier now that the reservoirs are filled and the drought has been officially ruled as over? 37 min - The view from UC Davis' Center for Watershed Sciences on California's weather forecast 44:15 min - How to fund the fixes - and who will pay for it? 49:30 min - How do we handle the issue of restoring California's dwindling groundwater levels? 1 hr, 20 min - The Yolo Bypass is an successful example of flood plain management - can it be replicated elsewhere in the state? 1 hr, 8:15 min - Can't we just tear down some of our dams? 1 hr, 16 min - The Central Valley is an inland sea, and many of us live deep in a flood basin - do we move out or do we just accept the risks (and the costs) of living here? 1 hr, 21:15 min - The trade off between having vegetation and eco habitats around the levees vs. flood safety 1 hr, 28:30 min - How the state is -- and should be -- integrating climate change into its future plans for our water infrastructure