Levee Systems Face Looming Financial Crisis

[The Straight Story]

Levee Systems Face Looming Financial Crisis
Written for the web by Elizabeth Bishop, Internet News Producer


The agencies that oversee the levees in California's flood-prone central valley are on the brink of financial crisis, according to an investigative report.

An investigation by The Sacramento Bee found that money problems are so bad basic maintenance is at risk.

The newspaper looked over a year's worth of financial audits for 73 levee districts between Butte City in the north and Visalia in the south. It found that 33 of the districts ended the year in a deficit, coming up $133,839 short on average.

The Bee/i> also discovered many levee districts are using their the few assets they have to perform basic maintenance in order to protect cities and towns from flooding. It also found only a third of the districts have enough cash in reserve to cover a year's operating expenses.

http://www.kxtv.com/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=14868