The Windsor North/ River Ridge Neighborhood Council meeting scheduled for Thursday, November 8, 7:00 p.m. at the River Ridge Golf Club, Sunset room, 2401 W. Vineyard Ave, Oxnard, will include a report on the status of the SCR-3 levee by the Ventura County Watershed Protection District. All FJA members are encouraged to attend.
Here is the link to the presentation given to City Council on October 23, 2012 by VCWatershed Protection District. (Apologies for the green bars)
A joint presentation by VC Watershed and City of Oxnard is scheduled to be given at the October 23, 2012 City Council meeting on the proposed repair of the 3000 gap in the SCR-3 levee. All Southbank residents are encouraged to attend to show your support and concern over this critical issue which affects us all. If you cannot attend the meeting in person, be sure to watch on TV.
Link to July 15, 2012 article on this by Gretchen Wenner of the VC Star
Dear Southbank Resident:
We are very pleased to inform you that the County Watershed Protection District has been awarded two State grants for the SCR-3 Santa Clara River levee totaling $5.4-million. One grant in the amount $5-million is the maximum allowable construction grant amount and will be used toward new levee sections to close the “gap.” The second grant in the amount of $392,000 will be used for completion of plans and EIR.
The $5-million SCR-3 construction grant was the only WPD project to receive the maximum grant amount, and one of only a few in the State that received the maximum funding. Together, these two grants bring us much closer to having full project funding for this top-priority project.
The project schedule calls for a presentation of design alternatives to the Oxnard City Council this September, followed by presentations to Oxnard Neighborhood Councils. Completion of this vital project is one of my highest priorities for the coming years, and I will assure that WPD moves this project along as quickly as possible, and that residents are kept informed as project milestones are reached.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call my office at 654-2703.
Steve Bennett, County Supervisor
***UPDATE - JULY 4, 2012 *** No word when the presentation of the proposed new plan to repair the SCR-3 gap will be presented to City Council. If it does not happen this month, then the next opportunity will be in September as the City Council is on hiatus for the entire month of August. As always, we will keep you posted.
***UPDATE – APRIL 27, 2012 *** The latest word is that the presentation of the new plan to the Oxnard City Council has been postponed until June, so it will NOT take place at the May 1st meeting.
***UPDATE - APRIL 10, 2012 – *** The City of Oxnard and VC Watershed have apparently agreed on a new compromise plan for repairing the gap in the SCR-3 levee, which will be constructed along the edge of the river, not along the easterly side of Ventura Road. A presentation of the plan is scheduled to be presented to the Oxnard City Council at the May 1st, 2012 meeting. All FJA members are encouraged to attend this meeting or watch on City TV.
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The FJA Board members have recently attended meetings with Norma Camacho and Gerard Kapuscik of VCWatershed, and subsequently with Rob Roshanian and Robert Hearne with the City of Oxnard to discuss plans to provide flood protection along the gap in the SCR-3 levee. There are basically two alternatives being discussed. The first alternative is to build a levee and/or flood wall along the edge of the river. The second alternative is to construct a flood wall on the opposite side of Ventura Road away from the river. The City favors the first alternative, and VCWPD favors the second. There are multiple challenges associated with either alternative, including construction cost, time, environmental concerns and more. VCWPD will be giving a detailed presentation before the Oxnard City Council in the near future, likely in February according to Mr. Roshanian. The FJA board encourages all of it’s members to attend if possible and be prepared to speak out during the public comment period.
In brief, VCWPD is concerned that the ‘riverside’ solution will be far more costly and take years longer mainly due to environmental regulations protecting various endangered species that have migrated to the area where construction will take place. There is even the threat of lawsuits against the County by the EPA, which would add additional time and expense to defend against. In contrast, building a flood wall on the far side of Ventura Road away from the river would not have this added complexity, and therefore would cost far less and take far less time to complete.
The City argues that having the flood wall across and along Ventura Road would sacrifice this important artery in the event of a major flood and would necessitate having a massive flood gate that would have to be closed to protect the adjacent neighborhoods. It would also require a separate solution for the Wagon Wheel area, whereas the levee along the river would extend all the way to the 101 freeway and connect seamlessly with the SCR-1 levee. Also, home values behind the flood wall and gate would depreciate.
Regardless of which alternative is ultimately adopted, there is also the matter of funding. Funding sources would include our share of property tax revenue, possible state grant money if VCWPD’s current grant applications are successful, and last, but not least, creating a Community Facilities District to tax the affected residents. And if that doesn’t get your attention, FEMA is expected to be back with a revised flood map in the spring of 2014, only a couple of years away, so we could be facing paying BOTH a levee repair assessment and flood insurance. And if the ‘roadside’ alternative is ultimately adopted, the homes lying in the shadow of a massive wall and flood gate would have yet another major impact on their property values.
Below are the two alternatives (there may be additional ones discussed at the meeting). The top image shows the levee/flood wall along the edge of the river. The bottom image shows the flood wall and flood gate along Ventura Road.
The FJA Board needs to hear from you! Please leave a comment below and share your thoughts with everyone.
The FJA will be presenting the following at the next Ventura County Board of Supervisor’s meeting, Tuesday, November 15, 2011. VCWatershed Protection District is applying for a grant to help fund repair of our levee system. They are asking for a show of support from the community. The FJA executive board will attend the meeting, as well as members of the Southbank and Windsor North/ RiverRidge Neighborhood Councils. The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. See the attached board letter and resolution from VCWPD
The Flood Zone Justice Association strongly supports VC Watershed Protection District’s diligent efforts to seek funding from the Dept. of Water Resources Local Levee Grant Program. Funding is urgently needed and critical towards accomplishing our shared goal of constructing and rehabilitating the levee system that protects the residents of Oxnard. We urge the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to approve VC Watershed Protection District’s application request for this funding. The FJA has enjoyed working collaboratively with the VCWPD and the City of Oxnard, and we offer our assistance to all those who have worked and continue to work very hard to resolve our levee issues.
Here is a link to a presentation given by Robert Hearne, the floodplain manager for the City of Oxnard, at a recent neighborhood meeting: CRS PROGRAM
Two representatives from the VCWPD will travel to Washington, D.C. today to attend a workshop being held on Tuesday. Here is the INVITATION.
This is a memo from the Ventura County Watershed Protection District summarizing H.R. 1309 along with a full copy of the bill: MEMO.
Upon review of HR 1309, should members of the Floodzone Justice Association agree, it would be helpful if you would consider writing letters of support and forward them to United States Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, representing California, as well as the Chair (Senator Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota)) and Ranking-Member (Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama)), of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
Here’s a link to the Senate Banking Committee’s June 23, 2011 Hearing on NFIP Reform for easy reference: http://banking.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=b3057e2f-d554-4a50-a6c9-46213fcce8ea
The House of Representatives approved H.R. 1309, the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011 on July 12, 2011 by a 406-22 vote. The house-approved measure includes the following key provisions:
1. A three year delay in the mandatory purchase requirement for certain properties in newly designated Special Flood Hazard Areas;
2. A five year phase-in period of policy premiums for homeowners in newly designated Special Flood Hazard Areas;
3. A requirement that FEMA include in their studies the protection provided by levees even if the levee has not been accredited;
4. Communities that are ‘making more than adequate progress in their construction of their flood protection systems’ could also see suspension of up to five years of mandatory insurance purchase requirements.
On the Senate side, the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee have said they also hope to rework the insurance program before the end of September. The committee recently held a two-part hearing on proposed fixes.
The administration has released a statement supporting passage of the bill.
If the bill passed by the House is subsequently passed by the Senate and signed into law, the City and County will have additional time to rehabilitate both the SCR-1 and SCR-3 levee systems.
(Memo from Interim Oxnard Public Works Director, Rob Roshanian, to Oxnard Mayor and Members of the City Council, dated July 15, 2011)