California hikes costs for flood protections in farm country

By MICHAEL PHILLIS
Associated Press

California officials say as much as $30 billion is needed to protect the heart of the state’s farm country from significant flooding over the next three decades. Officials released a draft of an updated flood protection plan for the Central Valley on Thursday. Approximately 1.3 million people live in floodplains and are at risk. Climate change will increase the risk of floods, and the amount that must be spent on protections has gone up. The plan calls for spending on levees, maintenance and projects with multiple benefits like those that will prevent floods and improve ecosystems. The public has until early June to comment on the draft.