Try Humming ‘When the Levee Breaks’ While Reading About California Flood Control

Flood control efforts in California’s Central Valley get a boost in sprawling water legislation that reaches the House floor Tuesday. No, it’s not the drought-inspired, California-only bill that has inspired so much wrangling in recent years. That remains stuck. Instead, following the Senate’s lead, the House is taking up its latest version of the Water Resources Development Act. The amended bill authorizes 31 Army Corps of Engineers projects and 29 feasibility studies, among other measures. “This bill is by no means perfect,” said Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Penn., the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, “but it’s a good bill.”