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Mike Inamine, executive director with the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency (SBFCA) since 2012, has announced his upcoming departure from the agency effective this Friday. Beginning in February, Inamine will join the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Division of Engineering in a role focused on Oroville Dam and subsidence of the California Aqueduct.
During his tenure with SBFCA, Inamine has taken an aggressive plan to repair the west Feather River levee from concept to reality in record time. Although former SBFCA Executive Director Bill Edgar was responsible for creating and organizing SBFCA and leading the charge on local funding, Inamine managed the mammoth task of overseeing the design, state and federal financing, and implementation of $350 million in levee improvements. This includes the Feather River West Levee Project which runs from Thermalito Afterbay to south Sutter County.
“There is never a good time to leave,” stated Inamine in a January 4 letter to SBFCA Board members. “However… today there are 37 miles of improved levees that did not exist in 2011. With the (Army) Corps (of Engineers) starting five miles of levee work, Oroville Wildlife Area [Flood Stage Reduction Project] successfully underway, and planning efforts just beginning for the rural basin, this is as good a time as any to depart.”
Inamine first assumed responsibility for SBFCA’s engineering program in 2011. He was promoted to executive director in 2012 when predecessor Edgar was appointed president of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board.
“We were confident that Mike had the expertise to successfully guide all aspects of the levee repair program,” said Edgar. “As evidenced by the results, his hire was clearly the best decision we made.”
“Mike’s leadership, experience and expertise helped us overcome significant challenges – such as funding, permitting, and cultural resources issues, to name a few — that should have derailed the project,” said Steve Lambert, SBFCA Board Chair and Butte County Supervisor. “Thanks to his tireless efforts and ‘never take no for an answer’ approach, we received more state bond funding than we anticipated, finished 37 miles of levee repairs in four years, supported an expedited federal feasibility study that resulted in an upcoming $77 million federal project, and rapidly completed the Yuba City emergency repair immediately following the Oroville Spillway Crisis. His mark on this community is indelible and he will be missed.”
The 13-member SBFCA Board of Directors is expected to discuss the executive director position at its February 13 meeting. Director of Engineering Michael Bessette, P.E., will assume acting executive director duties upon Inamine’s departure. For additional information on SBFCA, go to: www.sutterbutteflood.org or call the agency at: 530-755-9859 or the Project Hotline & Public Outreach line at: 530-870-4425.
