Preparation of this report cost $15,000, which was funded by FC District Funds. Implementation of the recommended action plans and assessment studies over the next thirteen years will cost approximately $8,000,000 to be funded by FC District and Flood Control Zone Funds, with ongoing efforts to offset expenses with grant funds.

On November 5, 2013, the FC District presented to the Board its first annual report on flood protection infrastructure in order to understand its history, condition, and future needs. On February 10, 2015, the “2014 Status of Flood Protection Infrastructure” updated the Board on the FC District’s accomplishments since the 2013 Annual Report. The attached 2015 Annual Report is provided to update the Board on the FC District’s accomplishments in 2015 as well as future challenges and next steps.  
  
In summary, our community outreach events were successful, our capital programs made progress, and our studies of aging infrastructure and unsustainable service levels continued to highlight some major concerns, primarily regarding lack of funding.  
  
Highlights of 2015 included sponsoring a week-long "Stay Out, Stay Alive" campaign at Walnut Creek Intermediate School, disseminating El Niño preparedness information to the community, developing new rainfall tracking tools for residents, hosting another successful Quadrennial Creek and Watershed Symposium, launching our Three Creeks Project in Brentwood, completing our pilot facilities assessment program, and receiving results from our first-ever professional public opinion survey.  
  
Most flood protection, drainage, and stormwater agencies statewide suffer from inadequate funding. Proposition 13 froze tax rates at low levels almost 40 years ago, and Proposition 218 has made it difficult to increase revenue for the past 20 years. The County has been working with the California State Association of Counties and the County Engineers Association of California on a Statewide Stormwater Funding Initiative to provide an alternative mechanism to fund flood protection, drainage, and stormwater services which is similar to what water and wastewater utility districts currently use. A proposed ballot measure was filed with the State Attorney General’s office in December with the hope that it will qualify for the November 2016 ballot. We recommend that the County continue to support the legislative effort to get this funding measure into place, as it will go a long way toward providing sustainable funding to meet the County's needs for regional flood protection, community drainage, and stormwater quality services.  
  
The FC District will continue implementation of the action plans outlined in the 2013 Annual Report. The key action for the next few years will be to focus on developing sustainable funding.  
  
Staff recommends the Board accept the attached 2015 Annual Report from the FC District, direct the Chief Engineer to continue with the Action Plans recommended in the Report, with a follow-up report to this Board annually, and refer the effort to develop sustainable funding for regional flood protection, community drainage, and stormwater quality services to the Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee.

The County’s funding issues regarding regional flood protection, community drainage, and stormwater quality services will not be adequately addressed, which will lead to lower levels of delivery of those services in the future.