Orestimba Creek Feasibility Study - Stanislaus County

Economics Appendix – Draft Report - Orestimba Creek Feasibility Study, Stanislaus County, California – September 2012
Attachment D: Other Social Effects (OSE)
This report presents the results of the Other Social Effects (OSE) account analysis associated
with the Orestimba Creek Feasibility Study Report. The Study includes levee modification
alternatives specifically designed to decrease flood risks for rural areas and the City of Newman
in western Stanislaus County, California. The most recent flood events to occur within the
project area were in 1995 and 1998.
The OSE account describes the potential social effects of the project that are not covered by the
National Economic Development (NED), Regional Economic Development (RED), and
Environmental Quality (EQ) accounts. The four accounts comprise the Principles and
Guidelines evaluation framework by which, according to ER 1105-2-100, any project’s effects,
beneficial and adverse, can be evaluated and the alternative subsequently “selected and
recommended for implementation if it has, on balance, net beneficial effects after considering all
plan effects, beneficial and adverse.”
This report analyzes the social effects related to the With-Project condition and the Without
Project condition (No Action Plan). The .01 flood event is the basis for the analysis of impact.
Particular effects evaluated as a part of the OSE include social effects such as health and safety,
security of life, community impacts, and displacement of persons and businesses.
This investigation is intended to look at the social climate of the study area. In a sense, this
study is meant to provide a glimpse as to the vulnerability of the population that calls Newman
their home.
Historic Flooding - Newman
Flood overflows from Orestimba Creek into the town of Newman, California have been
experienced 14 times in the past 56 years; the last being in 1998. Since then, however, high
water within the Orestimba Creek channel has caused issues concerning road closures, and traffic
re-routing. In 2006 and 2009 high water flowing over local rural roadways was the cause of two
deaths due to motorists attempting to cross. In town, historic flooding has caused extensive
damage due to sediment laden water diverted along roadways and railroad embankments
eventually flowing through the downtown area and surrounding residential streets. Not to
discount the damage, the town has been fortunate to have survived all these flood events without
a loss of life. One of the contributing factors to this is the fact that the diversion of water into
Newman takes many hours to manifest itself, allowing sufficient time for town folk to prepare
for the eventuality.
Social Issues
Social vulnerability is a term described by both the sensitivity of a population to natural hazards
such as floods and its ability to respond to and recover from the impacts of the flood event. In
emergency planning, social vulnerability is captured under the heading of “special needs
populations.” What is the homeless population and where are they How many tourists are in
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