Editorial: Habitat, Flood Safety Join Forces
Chico Enterprise Record - 6/17/03

The story of Hamilton City's efforts to protect itself from the Sacramento River is a testament to the value of communication and cooperation.

The small Glenn County town has the misfortune of lying right in the middle of a shortcut the Sacramento River would really like to take on its way to the sea.

About a hundred years ago, a farmer who also lived in the way of the river began pilling up rock and earth to encourage the river to stay on course. His neighbor did the same along his part of the river. And then his neighbor did the same, and so on, and so on.

Thus was the J levee born, not so much planned and then built, but built in pieces that were afterward cobbled together into a makeshift defense against the river.

It's remarkable it lasted so long, but clearly its days are numbered. It failed twice in the '70s and has been patched again and again since then, usually while the river was high and the effort was critical to save the town.

Hamilton City has long been united in the effort to replace the dike, but it's a small town without the resources to do the work alone and without the wherewithal to get the federal or state governments to do it.

Washington and Sacramento looked at the town of just under 2,000 souls, heard the new levee cost estimates that start at $36 million and go up to about $100 million, and couldn't justify the cost, especially since the sugar plant closed down.

The town's only hope was if its needs could be integrated with the wishes and goals of the higher authorities.

That seemed a long shot, as the only state and federal initiatives along the river were to purchase land for habitat and establish a meander belt, the apparent antithesis of repairing a levee. And the feds, the state and their private allies weren't too interested in talking to anyone in the early days of the process.

That has changed dramatically in the past few years. It may be a result of the backlash that resulted when folks realized how far the habitat process had gone, unnoticed, but the public is now actively being involved in the planning process. Last week's meeting in Hamilton City is just one of many examples.

As the communication has increased, erstwhile opponents have discovered common ground between them. And that common ground has led to compromises that allow both sides to close in on their objectives far more quickly than would have been possible otherwise.

Hamilton City is still not safe from the river, and no levee will be built just to protect the town. But a levee that protects the town may be part of a grander effort of restoring river habitat, just as improved public access might also be part of the package.

Many things that are difficult or impossible to accomplish alone become much more manageable when several divergent interests find a way to work together.

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