Redwood City studies its stormwater infrastructure

Considering the severe storms experienced in recent years, particularly during the wet season in 2022 and 2023, city staff is working to make some major upgrades to combat flooding and climate change. 

“That highlighted deficiencies in our system and the need for our system to plan for climate change and be resilient and adapt to that,” Saber said. 

To guide future planning, staff will be working on establishing city priorities, outlining near- and long-term projects and identifying potential funding opportunities. Technical studies, systemwide evaluation will also be necessary to ultimately establish a work plan for the coming years. 

Establishing this long-term plan will take multiple years and be costly, Saber noted. To develop such a work plan will cost the city an estimated $2.1 million, but councilmembers were unanimous in agreeing the work was necessary. 

“I really appreciate that, even if things are more costly, we’re making investments that we should have made a long time ago,” Councilmember Marcella Padilla said. “I feel like we’re really playing catch up and I see the true value of the comprehensive plan approach.” 

The city is particularly vulnerable to flooding due to its flat topography, aging infrastructure and susceptibility to sea-level rise. Further, Redwood City has not evaluated its stormwater road map since 1986, and has “kicked down the bucket” for many years, councilmembers said. 

“It’s really important for us as a city to take a look at our system and have a good understanding of what we need to do to make us more resilient for the future,” Saber said. 

Assessments will be done on shoreline infrastructure improvement projects, climate change projects, the current stormwater conveyance system and funding feasibility. 

To support ongoing stormwater funding, the city is considering options such as a community facilities district that would use bonds secured by a special tax, or a parcel tax to fund capital improvements. The city is also looking to establish additional revenue sources like impact fees and competitive grants. 

Considering how costly investment into stormwater infrastructure is, and that Redwood City bears the brunt of runoff from the hilly communities to the west, multiple councilmembers shared their desire to work closely with nearby municipalities. 

“This is a collective problem to solve,” Councilmember Isabella Chu said. 

Redwood City’s stormwater system currently comprises 123 miles of pipe — the distance from the city to Fresno, for comparison — providing an extensive network of engineered infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff and reduce flood risk. Additionally, there is approximately over 25 miles of natural infrastructure also playing a critical role. 

Saber spoke to the inherent equitable impact of stormwater system upgrades. 

“All improvements we do to the stormwater system advance equity in the city, making sure everyone is safer, making sure everyone has more access to quick emergency response,” Saber said. 

There was no action taken by the City Council.