Sutter joins levee agency

Sutter County supervisors approved the county’s membership in a new regional flood control agency Tuesday night.

In a unanimous vote, supervisors approved joining the Sutter-Butte Flood Control Agency, which is intended to spearhead levee improvements on the west side of the Feather River. The agency is replacing the old West Feather River Levee Reconstruction Agency.

The board was to choose two members and an alternate to represent the county on SBFCA. Supervisor Jim Whiteaker recommended permanently designating the board chair and vice-chair as the voting members, with the alternate being the incoming vice-chair based on a traditional rotation.

Under that arrangement, Supervisors Dan Silva and Larry Montna are the SBFCA representatives. Administrator Larry Combs said he thought that the rotation had Whiteaker as the incoming vice-chair.

Jeff Twitchell, engineer for Levee District 1, estimated getting the regional agency off the ground would take around $5 million. He asked where the money would come from.

Combs said the county and Yuba City have committed to the startup costs, and the county held meetings last week to determine how it would fund its share. No dollar amount was provided.

Twitchell implored the board to get more aggressive in figuring out local levee solutions.

“We’re falling behind some of the other communities,” he said.

County officials said developing local levee solutions is the idea behind forming SBFCA, but disagreed the county was falling behind.

John P. Woodley Jr., assistant secretary of the Army-Civil Works, said in May that Yuba and Sutter counties were on the forefront of levee control efforts, Silva noted.

Along with Sutter and Butte counties, the other proposed members of SBFCA are Yuba City, Live Oak, Gridley and Biggs, plus Levee Districts 1 and 9.

Twitchell, standing with LD 1 Manager Bill Hampton, said their district is on board to help any way they can.

“The message I want to leave is ... we need to be responsive to developing plans within the county,” he said.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Robert LaHue can be reached at 749-4713. You may e-mail him at rlahue@appealdemocrat.com.