Federal budget includes $91M for local flood protection

President Barack Obama???s fiscal year 2010 budget includes $91.5 million for flood protection in Sacramento, Congresswoman Doris Matsui announced Tuesday.

Congress could begin appropriating the funds as early as July, according to Matsui???s office.

???Sacramento is the most at-risk river city in the country and therefore we must make funding our flood protection projects a priority,??? Matsui said in a news release. ???I am encouraged by the $91.5 million in President Obama???s budget for Sacramento area projects and I look forward to working with the new administration to ensure that federal funding continues to flow towards Sacramento???s flood protection needs.???

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has budgeted the following amounts, to be considered by Congress:

$66.7 million for a joint federal project on the American River watershed, which involves building a 3,500-foot long auxiliary spillway with six submerged gates at Folsom Dam. When completed, the project would give much of Sacramento more than a 200-year level of flood protection.

$15 million to improve levees and prevent levee erosion problems on the Sacramento River.

$2.5 million to improve South Sacramento County steam channels and levees in order to protect Sacramento from future high water from the Mokelumne-Cosumnes River system and the Morrison Creek watershed.

$600,000 for additional improvements along the American River, including raising Folsom Dam reservoir dikes.