![]() ![]() Such an authority could help responders better access even the most basic information, such as where levees are located and who owns and maintains them. Other parts of the state are better prepared because of those overarching authorities, she added. But what is different about the Tulare basin is the lack of regional joint powers authorities that exist in other parts of the state,” said Nemeth. In the fragmented system of the southern valley, it’s up to the county governments to act as the glue between the patchwork of different agencies, said Karla Nemeth, director of the state Department of Water Resources (DWR). The record-breaking snowpack looming over the valley promises to test the valley’s fragmented flood response even more as the melt gets underway, prompting the question: Who’s in charge? Water from the White River flows under Highway 43 March 21, toward a BNSF bridge and the small town of Allensworth. They try to work together, but flooding that started with the March 10 storm revealed serious gaps in the system. When it floods in the south valley, water is “managed” by a patchwork of different agencies with a variety of boundaries, authorities and purposes. That’s because in the southern San Joaquin Valley, there is no overarching flood control agency. “I’ve been jumpin’ through all these hoops,” Mitchell said.Īnd there is no higher authority that could have taken over to get it done. He had to get permission from BNSF and then another landowner to block the water and move it north along Highway 43. Mitchell’s authority doesn’t extend to property owned by the railroad, he said.
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