If California is to help protect the Central Valley from floods over the next half century, it can't just place Band-Aids on the Valley's current system of levees, dams, weirs and bypasses.

Fortunately, the state Department of Water Resources, under Director Mark W. Cowin, seems to recognize this reality. In releasing a draft of the Central Valley Flood Protection plan a few weeks ago, DWR has acknowledged the state must make strategic changes to the system to protect lives and property, prepare for climate change and marry flood control with habitat and recreational concerns.

Best of all, the DWR report makes clear that flood control is not just a Central Valley responsibility. The state's transportation system, its seat of government, its agricultural industries and its water delivery system could be dangerously disrupted by a devastating flood.

"The state is also responsible for responding to emergencies and public threats," says the report. "Thus, it is in the state's interest to invest funds proactively to avoid and mitigate for known risks."

More of a framework for action than a detailed list of recommendations, the DWR report floats a number of ideas that have long been discussed by engineers but not pushed in a real way. These include expanding the Yolo Bypass to handle stronger flows expected in the future. It also mentions creating two new bypasses, in the south Delta and beside the Feather River, to relieve pressure points in the system.

These and other ideas in the report have real merit, but to push them forward, DWR and future state lawmakers and governors will need to confront some hard realities:

• Much of the rural Valley has long resisted expansion and construction of bypasses, for obvious reasons: It takes land out of farm production (at least in flood years) and can result in lost tax revenue for counties. To sell the idea to rural areas, the state and urban areas that benefit from bypasses will need to fully compensate farmers and counties that would be affected.

• California can't depend as it once did on the federal government for flood-control funding. The refusal of House Republicans to finance a high-priority Army Corps of Engineers project in Natomas demonstrates the folly of depending on the feds. That means the state and Valley residents will need to reach into their pockets in the future to upgrade a system that, overall, has protected them well for nearly a century.

• To be successful, the DWR plan will need the full support of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, which in turn will need to set priorities to ensure that available bond money is aimed at the plan's strategic focus. Will the current flood board embrace DWR's approach? It should. If it doesn't, Gov. Jerry Brown should consider some new appointees.

Working to meet a deadline set under 2008 legislation, DWR has performed a service for California by producing a forward-looking flood plan that is in step with the state's values, and aware of the serious threats on the horizon. But much more will be needed to turn this framework for action into real structural change. Ultimately, it will be a test of will, and a test of how much state, local and federal governments want to spend to avoid another Katrina.

The Bee's past stands

"If farming is an essential part of the overall system, shouldn't its role be identified and the farmers be rewarded? Of course."

– July 12, 2007

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