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l:r.> an c C""', c: . 2. Determine if there is the possibility of a levee failure that would result in flooding of California's Imperial County and the Salton Sea. The Flood Impact Task Force Report is included in Appendix E. The team was unable to address all issues through the formula- tion of work elements but considered the followinq issues of such importance as to merit discussion in this report~ The potential for long term flooding is an important factor to be considered when making d.ccisions regarding construction and reconstruction in or near the floodplain of the Lower Colorado River. The flood duration is expected to last six months or more and result in far greater impacts than flooding of shorter duration. Special development criteria should be developed to protect structures from the effects of the type of flooding experienced during this event. The long term flooding, combined with the closing of the river for recreational use, is the cause of the serious economic impact in the area. In addition to river flooding, isolated flash floods , multiple basin storms, and regional stQrms can also'cause flooding in the effected areas. Tributary flood hazards should be considered during reconstruction. Storm drains have been closed in several locations to prevent river flows from entering the storm drain system and causing flooding. Should flooding occur on some tributaries, water would pond behind levees or other obstructions rather than flow into the river. Tributary flooding could also damage emergency levees constructed to protect structures from the river. ~"\ ~"" " The team also discussed the problems encountered in managing the Parker 2 Division of the Colorado River. The Lower Colorado River Program Coordinating Committee Work Group (comprised of all federal, state, local, and other entities which have an interest in the Colorado River) has been trying to resolve issues relating to erosion of tribal lands, downstream sedimentation, loss of fish and wildlife resources, and excess water consumption. Numerous plans have been proposed since 1964 and subsequently dismissed because of conflicts with the management responsibilities of the involved agencies. The issues are currently under re- evaluation by the work group. The Interagency Hazard Mitigation Team encourages the work group to continue their effortsbo resolve these issues. Finally, tba team members attempted to formulate work programs for two other issues because they believed it was possible to combine federal, state, and local programs for mitigation. The specific issues were: 1. A need to perform additional water quality monitoring and to provide the results to local governments who should use the data to identify the location of unsafe areas to limit their use. 17