City Applies for $8M Flooding Prevention Grant

The city council authorized staff Monday night to submit an application to the state Department of Water Resources for an $8 million grant for stormwater flood management funds.

Redwood City currently has $6 million allocated for the Fifth Avenue/Bay Front storm drain improvement fund and would need another $2 million to meet the dollar for dollar match requirement.

Flooding has been in the area because of its elevation, a land characteristic that even FEMA has said would cause unavoidable flooding. The additional $2 million could be transferred from other storm drainage capital project fund accounts. Staff time and consultant hours for the grant application process are estimated at $42,110.

Construction of these improvements will mitigate flooding in the Bayfront Canal, Fifth Avenue and Atherton Channel areas that have historically been problem areas for the city.

“I’m happy that staff is looking for extra funds during these tough times,” Councilmember Ian Bain said, who also sits on the council’s ad hoc flooding committee.

The regional flooding committee that includes members from the county, Woodside, Atherton and Menlo Park to delineate the next steps.

“All the cities have agreed to consult with our respective staffs to produce a menu of solutions,” Councilmember Jeff Gee said, who chaired the meeting. “There is no magic pill, but we will do what we can.”