People ought to be paying attention to this situation after what happened in New Orleans. The levee system in California is very neglected. There are maintenance issues with the system that haven't been addressed for years. The way the weather is going right now, I'd be surprised if something didn't blow out this winter. It's getting close and won't take much for a disaster. |
The real problems with the levees are that there's no funding available to maintain or repair them and the permit process is too onerous. It's a three-to-five-year process and it has gotten so bad the only way we can get levee maintenance done is when they fail. That's the only time we can actually fix anything. |
The river flows are not impacting us too much right now, but if it gets to 219 feet as forecast, then we start getting nervous because it puts a lot of pressure on the levees. When it hits 221 feet at Tehama Bridge, that's getting serious. |