The San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency (SJAFCA) is a Joint Powers Authority created in May 1995 between the City of Stockton, San Joaquin County, and the San Joaquin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. SJAFCA was formed in response to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) attempt to issue new Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) placing all of metropolitan Stockton and the surrounding County areas in a floodplain. If those maps had been issued, property owners would have been required to obtain flood insurance, and stricter, more expensive building standards would have been imposed in the flood-prone areas. SJAFCA officials were able to convince FEMA representatives to delay issuing the maps until November 1998 while SJAFCA constructed the Flood Protection Restoration Project (FPRP). The FPRP consists of flood wall and levee improvements along 40 miles of existing channel levees, 12 miles of new levees, widening of existing floodway with set-back levees and set-back benching, modifications to 24 bridges and the addition of two major detention basins.

Construction was completed in 1998, merely three years after notification by FEMA that most of the City would be remapped into the 100-year flood zone, thus requiring flood control improvements. In addition to the construction, SJAFCA formed an assessment district of more than 74,000 parcels to finance the $70 million project. Nearly $13.8 million was paid by property owners during the cash collection period. All remaining assessments were placed on annual property tax bills. In 1996, to augment funding of the project, the Agency sold municipal bonds totaling $55,250,000 to be paid over 18 years (maturity date: October 2014).

Section 211 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (WRDA'66) authorized the local sponsor (SJAFCA) to construct flood control improvements and receive reimbursement for the Federal share of project costs. The Federal share of the plan approved by the Corps and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is estimated at $36.7 million. SJAFCA is currently working with the Sacramento District of the Corps on a final audit of the total reimbursement amount.

All reimbursements from the State and Federal government have been used to refund property owners by eliminating or reducing the annual assessment and to make cash refunds to the current property owners of parcels that were assessed by SJAFCA.

SJAFCA has a four-member Board of Directors consisting of two Stockton City Council members (Clem Lee and Steve Bestolarides, who serves as Vice Chairman) and two San Joaquin County Supervisors (Larry Ruhstaller and Victor Mow, who serves as Chairman). City of Stockton Public Works Director James B. Giottonini is the Executive Director.

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More Information:

General Information
(209) 937-7900

Assessment District - MuniFinancial
(800) 755-6864

Flood Insurance - National Flood Insurance Program
(800) 638-6620

Flood Information - Federal Emergency Management Agency
(415) 923-7177

Stockton Flood Zone Map (PDF - 2.69MB)

Levee Maintenance -
S.J. County Flood Control/Water Conservation
(209) 468-9698

Channel Maintenance -
S.J. County Flood Control/Water Conservation
(209) 468-9698

Flood Zone Information - Stockton residents
(209) 937-8561

Flood Zone Information - S.J. County residents
(209) 468-3057