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To:	Contra Costa County Flood Control District Board of Supervisors
From:	Brian M. Balbas, Interim Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Date:	November 14, 2017

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Consider Report on Winter Storm Preparedness in Contra Costa County, Countywide.

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 11/14/2017

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor

ABSENT:

Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:	Tim Jensen, (925) 313-2390
cc:	David Twa, CAO Betsy Burkhart, CCTV Mike Carlson, Deputy Chief Engineer Carrie Ricci, Deputy Public Works Director Tim Jensen, Flood Control Catherine Windham, Flood Control

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: November 14, 2017
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

CONSIDER accepting the report on Winter Storm Preparedness in Contra Costa County, as recommended by the Chief Engineer, Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Countywide. (Tim Jensen, Public Works Department)

FISCAL IMPACT:

No fiscal impact.

BACKGROUND:

To remind our communities throughout the County about awareness and preparations for this winter’s rainy season, the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (Flood Control District) has the following report:

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

Agency Preparations:
The County’s Public Works and Flood Control District crews have been working hard to prepare for this winter, and they treat every winter as a potential heavy winter. Regional flood protection facilities and local drainage systems are ready and expected to perform well during large storms, as they have in the past. Key personnel are available to respond to emergencies at any time. As public agencies, we also value the eyes and ears of our residents to identify potential problems, so we have in place 24/7 reporting via phone or e-mail.

There are 14 Reclamation Districts responsible for the Delta area’s levees in eastern Contra Costa County. They each perform a critical function to protect lives and property. Their staff has been preparing for this winter via inspections, maintenance, restocking supplies, and training. The levees and pumps are ready, and they have trained personnel on standby to respond to any issues that may arise. During storm events, levees will be closely monitored.

Key personnel throughout the County are trained and ready to respond to any emergency at any time. In preparation for this winter, the County’s Office of Emergency Services has been coordinating with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure winter preparedness and disaster response. The various County agencies, such as Sheriff, Fire, Health Services, Public Works, Flood Control District, Reclamation Districts, and Animal Services, are partners in disaster preparedness and response. Coordination among these agencies keeps our County in compliance with the National Weather Service’s “storm ready” rating.

Sandbag Stations:
Each year the County and cities provide free sand and sandbags to local residents for use in protecting their property from flooding. On January 6, 2017, a sandbag demonstration media event was hosted by Supervisor Gioia. Our next sandbag demonstration media event is planned for late November. Video footage from past events and a sandbag demonstration guide is available on our website. For more information, visit http://www.cccounty.us/5983/Sandbags.

Creek and Channel Safety Awareness:
The County’s Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Program annual events continue, including; 1) completing the annual outreach to schools in September; 2) putting up student art class posters along flood control channels for the winter; and 3) coordinating with Contra Costa County Fire Protection District’s Swiftwater Rescue operations. On October 25, Walnut Creek Intermediate School hosted their second “Stay Out! Stay Alive!” campaign regarding the flood control channel that traverses its campus. See www.cccounty.us/creekandchannelsafety for more information.

Media Outreach:
In an effort to get the word out to the public, we have worked with our Public Information Officer to send out regular media blasts all winter on flood or weather-related information that would be useful or interesting to the public. Examples include determining if a property is in a flood-prone area, the location of sandbag stations, activities that people can undertake to protect their property from flooding, emergency preparedness, flood forecasting information, or a message from our Creek and Channel Safety Program.

Newsletters:
Each Board member has a newsletter and e-mail blast they send out generally once a week. We are providing our winter preparation media outreach information to Board member’s staff to be distributed across the County through their channels.

Website:
The Flood Control District has a webpage describing what citizens can do to prepare for this winter’s rainy season. The webpage can be found at http://www.cccounty.us/5906/Flood-Preparedness.

Flood Forecasting:
In our area, localized heavy rains can happen unexpectedly and streams can rise rapidly, so paying attention to the weather and utilizing forecasting resources is important. The Flood Control District monitors 29 rain gauges and fifteen stream elevation gauges to provide information. This past year, we installed 11 more stream gauges with state funding. Our data is used by the National Weather Service to inform their forecasts. We have a custom made forecasting guide we call “7532 Flood!” We provided information about the guide online, discussed it at numerous agency and public meetings, and have produced a short video on the guide. This information helps public agencies and residents predict the potential for flooding in their community. The webpages are compatible with most mobile devices and can be found at http://www.cccounty.us/RainMap.

Resource for Cities:
Flood Control District staff has combined the above messages into the flood preparedness webpages as a resource for cities. Staff is also available to provide input on winter preparation messages produced by cities, as well as to speak on winter preparedness at city-hosted meetings.

The above information will be sent to media outlets and community sites to coincide with this Board action. Key staff members are available to answer questions, attend community meetings, or be interviewed upon request.

The Chief Engineer, Flood Control District recommends that the Board accept the above report, and the personally presented report, on flood preparedness in Contra Costa County.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If this Board Order is not adopted, members of the public may not receive important information about flood preparedness and creek and channel safety.

CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:

The Flood Control District will continue to work with schools and youth-based groups within the County to educate children about safety regarding creeks and flood control channels.