Central Valley Flood Protection Board

The Central Valley Flood Protection Board (Board) establishes, maintains, and enforces standards for the construction, maintenance, and operation of the flood control system to protect life, property, and habitat in California’s Central Valley. The Board coordinates State entities, local flood risk control agencies and the federal government to minimize damages from floods in California’s Central Valley and is the non-federal sponsor for federal flood control projects in the State Plan of Flood Control. The Board serves as a public forum for flood risk reduction policy in the Central Valley and is responsible for adopting updates to the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan every five years.

 

PUBLIC HOURS AND MEETING SCHEDULE

In accordance with the Governor’s order, the Board will continue to host hybrid meetings and workshops. Locations and access information for future meetings will be posted on our homepage and updated as needed.

For public drop off of physical documents, including applications and fees, we can be contacted by phone or email as noted below to schedule a drop off.

  • With our new hybrid teleworking environment, most staff are only at our office location on Tuesdays each week. Administrative staff are available at the front desk Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 am – 3:00 pm. Appointments are required to meet with staff or receive in-person assistance at the front desk.  If you are currently working with a staff member on an item, please continue to contact that staff member.  If you need general information, please contact the general mailbox at Questions@CVFlood.ca.gov.

  • We will be prioritizing permits based upon health and safety factors, including the availability of staff and partners, and application processing times may be extended during this period.  Please bear with us as we work through this new system.

  • Past recordings of Board meetings and workshops can be found on the CVFPB YouTube Channel

Jane Dolan
Board President

 

NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS

NOTEBOOK FEATURE: Seizing a rare chance to keep tidal marsh ahead of sea level rise in the San Francisco Bay

By Maven’s Notebook

By Robin Meadows

The San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which hugs the northern arc of the San Francisco Bay, was established half a century ago to conserve water birds. Now the refuge has an additional vital role: bolstering the region against climate change. The San Francisco Bay is the most urbanized estuary nationwide with 7.5 million people, and rising seas threaten to inundate much of the tidal marsh that absorbs floodwaters and buffers the shoreline from storm surges. (more)

SJV WATER: New study shows the valley is sinking an inch per year

From the Maven’s Notebook

By Jesse Vad, SJV Water

New research from scientists at Stanford University shows that the San Joaquin Valley is sinking faster than ever due to excessive groundwater pumping. Even though aquifers are plummeting and the ground is sinking, the situation is never static. Since the historic wet year of 2023, some localities have seen significant rebounds in groundwater levels, though not enough to permanently change the trajectory, experts warn. Researchers brought together separate existing subsidence datasets from 2006 to 2022 to paint a more reliable picture of conditions in the valley. (more)

SJV WATER: Madera County project aims to curb groundwater pull by paying farmers to find new uses for land

From the Maven’s Notebook

By Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Residents and advocates in the small community of Fairmead have been working for years to find ways to relieve pressure on the area’s aquifer to protect domestic wells… On Tuesday, Californians voted to approve Proposition 4, $10 billion in bonds for environmental projects. That includes $200 million for the state’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) which pays farmers and local agencies to put  farmland to less water intensive uses such as, solar, wildlife habitat, recreation and groundwater recharge basins. (more)

More News & Highlights...

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New Board Member

Governor Newson Appoints New Central Valley Flood Protection Board Member, Betty Andrews

Governor Newsom appointed Elizabeth (Betty) Andrews, of Santa Rosa, to the Central Valley Flood Protection Board in June 2024. Betty has had more than thirty years’ experience in hydrology, hydraulics, flood management, floodplain and wetland restoration, and water resources management. She is a licensed engineer in the State of California and has operated a sole proprietorship since 2021. She held multiple roles at Environmental Science Associates (ESA) from 2010 to 2021, including Vice President/Principal Engineer and Project Director. Prior to ESA, Betty held multiple roles at Philip Williams and Associates, Ltd. from 1990 to 2010, including Principal, Project Manager, Staff Engineer and Chair of the Board of Directors. She was a Graduate Student Intern at the California Department of Water Resources from 1988 to 1989. Betty was Conservation Director of Friends of the River from 1981 to 1987. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Salmonid Restoration Federation and the Floodplain Management Association. Betty earned a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Davis and a Bachelor of Science degree in Technology and Human Affairs from Washington University in St. Louis.