Pub. Resources Code, § 29704

The Legislature further finds and declares that the leveed islands and tracts of the delta and portions of its uplands are floodprone areas of critical statewide significance due to the public safety risks and the costs of public emergency responses to floods, and that improvement and ongoing maintenance of the levee system is a matter of continuing urgency to protect farmlands, population centers, the state’s water quality, and significant natural resource and habitat areas of the delta. The Legislature further finds that improvements and continuing maintenance of the levee system will not resolve all flood risks and that the delta is inherently a floodprone area wherein the most appropriate land uses are agriculture, wildlife habitat, and, where specifically provided, recreational activities, and that most of the existing levee systems are degraded and in need of restoration, improvement, and continuing management.