To address flood risk and sea-level rise, the Redwood City Council has approved a plan to increase the height of levees around Redwood Shores, prioritize nature-based solutions and enhance public access along the shoreline.
The Redwood Shores Sea Level Rise Protection Project will not only address requirements issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reduce flood risk, but also provide improved community assets, councilmembers discussed at a board meeting Feb. 9.
“Even though flood protection is our overarching goal, we have other opportunities within the project … for everyone to have a sense of belonging and placemaking along our levee system” Tanisha Werner, Engineering and Transportation director, said.
Under consideration at Monday’s meeting was to decide just how high the levees should be raised — either 3 1/2 feet or 6 feet. The council approved staff recommendation to move forward with the former, which equates to raising the levees 1 foot higher than the updated federal requirement, to a total of approximately 13 1/2 feet.
Eliminating the levee system to this standard will “prevent vulnerability” to a major storm until 2100, providing approximately 70 years of protection should construction begin as intended in 2030.
The cost for the construction is estimated to cost approximately $200 million — an amount that the city has yet to ensure, but staff is working to acquire grants and other revenue sources to move the project forward.
There is particular emphasis to move quickly with the project, though.
The design approved by the council Monday was necessary to qualify for a $2 million grant from FEMA, and the overall project estimate will only increase as time goes on. With every five years of delay in the project, it is estimated to cost $110 million more, Senior Civil Engineer Paige Saber said.
Councilmember Isabella Chu acknowledged this “compelling reason to get something that’s going to last 70 years as quickly as possible.”
The other option to increase the levees even higher would take longer to construct, and ultimately cost more. The reality is, Councilmember Jeff Gee and others noted, the standards set by FEMA always have the potential to change.
“FEMA and sea-level rise are moving targets so it’s very difficult to predict what’s going to happen in 50 years,” Chu said. “I would hate to let perfect be the enemy of good.”
Should funding be secured, the levee updates should begin in 2030 and take approximately three years to complete.
(65) 344-5200 ext. 106
Daily Journal staff
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