Recently I posted on Yuba Foothills Forum that wioth the annoucement by Yuba County that the Yuba river levees no longer Protect the South county from floods and I posted since the Corps of engineers in 2007, certified the Yuba River levees from Hiway 70 to Simpson lane Road as 100 year levees, that announcement by Yuba county must mean they no longer believed the Certification by the Corps was good. Posters stated that Yuba county did not mean the West and East linda levees , they meant the levees beyond Simpson lane Road that Is known as Maintenance area # 8. I posted that the Maintenance area had never been certified as anything for the safety of RD 784 citizens and therefore could not be the levees spoken of By Yuba County as no longer protecting the Citizens.
Why did Yuba County make such a statement saying the West and East Linda levees certified by the Corps Mr. Robert Trainer, P.E. May the 8th, 2007, no longer protected the Citizens of RD 784 and surrounding areas? What was found out or known by Officials that made a statement like that paramount?
My personal thought at the time was Yuba County had finally come to realize the Boulders in the 1986 levee break site had great gaping holes between them that permitted high water in 1995-96 to flow through them and into the Scour trench dug out by the 1986 Flood water, and decided to Fix the break site properly, or they had realized the 2007 certification by Mr. Trainer, P.E. had been certified under the authority of the Sacramento River Flood Control System and not under the Federal FEMA/CORPS/Homeland security 44 CFR 65.10, as required for FEMA accreditation of Levees, as stated By FEMAs Eric Simmons P.E., Letter dated February 19, 2008 to YOLO county telling them, ” For the purpose of NFIP mapping, FEMA only recognizes in its flood hazard and Risk-mapping effort only those levees that meet 44 CFR 65.10.”
But the word on the street says Yuba County stated the Levees no longer protect RD 784 in order to get more state grants to upgrade the Maintenance area 8 , levees which if true, is a surprise to me as a former President of RD 784, I know that the Mantenance area #8 is in no danger of a levee break and if there is a Seepage area on that reach, it could be mitigated with a spot repair as TRLIA just completed at the Lower most reach of the Yuba River.
It appears TRLIA has decided to get the RD 784 levees certified under the authority of the Sacramento River flood control system and not under the FEMA, 44 CFR 65.10, required for NFIP Mapping, and it also appears TRLIA has given up on getting FEMA to accredit the RD 784 levees to hopefully lower Insurance rates for Flood zones. That bears watching and why did TRLIA not tell the People of RD 784 they were not getting the west Linda levee certified under 44 Cfr 65.10, as I said back in 2007? I think someone better make this known before citizens have to find out for themselves , that is never good for sitting politions and their appointees.
On the 2nd page of the Letter the Corps Mr. Trainer P.E. in the 2nd paragraph, he states he is letting TRLIA slide on the Federal Laws required before his certification meets 44 CFR 65.10, but he tells them, in the Future any certifications must meet 44CFR65.10.
In a letter to YOLO county dated 2-19-08, FEMA district Engineer Eric Simmons, P.E. told the County Only Levees that meet and continue to meet 44 CFR 65.10 (1986) will be recognized by FEMA .
