(#5130) Trying to get a rule change on the increased flow of water in the creek behind my home

      I have been in touch with the Sacramento City Mayor's office about getting some relief from water overflow from the creek behind my house. My neighbors and I are experiencing flooding in our yards just short of coming into our homes. My home was with a few inches of having water in my den just 16 months ago. While at the fence that borders the creek, 125 feet in total in my backyard, the water level was 2 feet above ground. There is a rule in the governing of creek dredging and widening protocols that prevent the city from operating such an option. No area beyond a 100 foot distance from a man made facility or structure can be dredged nor widened in our creek.
     This rule is well over several decades old and does not include an option for flexibility in it's guidelines. Much more water has been directed to Arcade Creek over the decades because land has been covered with asphalt and cement which increases water runoff instead of ground storage. Much of this has happened on the eastern side of our Sacramento county which does supply a significant amount of rain runoff to Arcade creek than in previous decades. My concern with the city is that a rule that is becoming long outdated still is the controlling factor in whether my home is flooded or not. This isn't about insurance by the way this is about preventing the need for an effect after the fact.
     Smart design of rules that not only protect wildlife in the creek area but also protect homeowners who through no fault of their own are increasingly at risk of being inundated with unchecked over flow water that is not sanitary and is destructive. 16 months ago our city had 5.5 inches of rain in one 24 hour period. This nearly brought the water into my home while still completely covering by as much as 2 feet all my land behind my home. Meanwhile that late evening a power outage took place with power lines lying in that deep pool of water that was my backyard. As grave as that could have been it does amplify the need to keep our creek from overflowing into our yards and homes through efficient and modern rule changes that flex with unique circumstances.