Harder Secures $2.75 Million for Vital Flood Control Project to Protect Stockton

WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Josh Harder (CA-9), a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, announced that he secured $2,750,000 for the Stockton Metropolitan Area Project Reimbursement which will go directly to the Lower San Joaquin River Flood Control Project. This Community Project Funding (CPF) secured by Harder will go towards completing this vital project to protect Stockton from flooding. In the greater Stockton area, 300,000 residents, critical infrastructure, and billions of dollars of property are exposed to potential flooding from the San Joaquin River, Calaveras River, and Bay Delta. The Lower San Joaquin River Flood Control Project is estimated to reduce annual property damage by 84% while improving security at 262 critical infrastructure sites, including 12 that are essential to public safety.

“The last thing our families need is to have their living rooms filled with floodwater or for our farmers to have their fields under water,” said Rep. Harder. “Some people are shocked to hear that Stockton is more vulnerable to severe flooding than New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina, but it’s true. The Lower San Joaquin River Flood Control Project is crucial to protect Stockton and the surrounding communities from flooding.”

“In championing these much needed federal dollars, Representative Harder once again displayed that his commitment and priority is protecting the residents of the greater Stockton and San Joaquin Valley region,” said Chris Elias, Executive Director of the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency (SJAFCA).  “On behalf of SJAFCA, I wish to express the agency’s profound gratitude to Representative Harder for successfully securing this critical funding to help advance the most comprehensive flood risk reduction initiative in the region’s history.”

According to a recent annual risk assessment, 92% of properties and 97% of commercial buildings in the City of Stockton are at risk during a flood. Without flood mitigation efforts including the Lower San Joaquin River Flood Control Project, the Central Valley is at risk for catastrophic flooding. This continues Rep. Harder’s work to protect San Joaquin families, crops, and infrastructure from flooding.

###