Over the past few decades, our area has experienced significant, sometimes devastating, flooding. The Sacramento Bee is celebrating its 160th anniversary this year. Region's Flooding History.

Sacramento's risk of flooding is the greatest of any major city in the country . In 1986, three forward-thinking flood control experts threw out the rulebook and kept The Big One from getting worse By Tom PhilpPublished 2:15 am PST Sunday, February 19, 2006 Twenty years ago today, three Sacramento flood officials were dreading the choice they were about to make.

The Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA), a coalition of local governments in Sacramento and Sutter counties, was formed after the '86 event. Other work is also generating attention. Remembering the 1986 Floods. In California, many flood control improvements that are either in progress or in the planning stages can be traced to the 1986 flood. This story is part of our ongoing coverage. Peak inflows to the flood control reservoirs above Sacramento (Shasta, Black Butte, Oroville, Bullards Bar, and Folsom) totaled nearly 800,000 cfs. This editorial from the Bee Sunday, February 19th continues their superb coverage of the flood threat in Sacramento, which has seen articles on a regular basis covering all aspects of the situation. History of Flooding and Flood Protection 2-4 1983, 1986, 1995, and 1997 The CDC began surveys of Sacramento Valley streams in July 1905 and developed a flood management plan based on the surveys and data from the flood of March 1907, which was the largest general flood in the valley for which measurements are recorded. The most notable flooding occurred in 1986, 1995, 1997, 2006, and 2017. Without these flood control reservoirs in place, about one million cfs would have been directed at Sacramento and into a levee and bypass system designed to carry 590,000 cfs. Revisiting the costliest storm in NorCal history 30 years later 1986 storms led to levee breaks, flooding . The maximum releases from these reservoirs totaled 425,000 cfs. . The plan sent to Share Shares Copy Link Copy {copyShortcut} to copy Link copied! .