California faces an estimated $50 billion price tag for roads, dams and other infrastructure threatened by floods such as the one that severely damaged Oroville Dam last month, the state's natural resources secretary said Wednesday. Jerry Brown has redirected $50 million for emergency flood response and asked state lawmakers to speed up $387 million in spending from a 2014 voter-approved water bond. Laird called the proposals "an important start," but said they fall far short of the amount needed to address flood projects statewide. Dam improvements are part of a $10 billion law approved by Congress late last year to authorize water projects across the country, including more than two dozen projects in California. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said nearly half of California's 1,400 dams are designated as "high hazard potential" by state officials.

Source: ABC News March 01, 2017 17:31 UTC