In September, 2009, Redwood City shared its plan for the Redwood Shores levee improvement project. Those improvements were needed to meet levee certification requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), in order to prevent the imposition of mandatory flood insurance for Redwood Shores residents.

We’re happy to report that the key structural elements and necessary levee elevation have been completed, and we’re now moving forward with certification to meet FEMA’s flood zone map deadline, as well as cleanup and restoration of the paths atop the levees.

This work was accomplished despite an extremely short construction window, permit obstacles, and a series of intense! storms that threatened to cause insurmountable delays.

We had originally anticipated getting the necessary permits by November and then beginning construction in December. This would have provided a full two months of work before January 31st the start of the Clapper Rail nesting season, during which construction on the levee is prohibited by the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

However, due to the complexity of the permitting process, permits were not obtained until December 30th and only after considerable effort and assistance from Congresswoman Jackie Speier’s office, the Bay Planning Coalition, and our City Council. This left only about one month to build levee improvements that typically require two months to complete in the dry season.

We made good progress during early January, with a rapid pace of construction on the levees around Redwood Shores, by the South Bayside System Authority treatment plant, and adjacent to the San Carlos Airport. As you know, this included weekend and night work in order to complete construction before January 31st, and we truly appreciate the understanding of nearby residents who endured noise, construction activity, and unusual work hours.

Then, during the week of January 18th a series of intense storms forced a complete halt to construction.
Faced with the critical deadline, and despite the weather’s significant impact to the already condensed
construction schedule, crews managed to complete construction of the structural elements required for
levee certification. With the elevation achieved, we can proceed with FEMA certification.

Please be assured that the levee surface will not be left in its current state. We will restore the levee to a condition suitable for its prior recreational use. Timing of the cleanup and restoration, though, is problematic since federal regulations prohibit the use of machinery atop the levee until September 1st, the end of the Clapper Rail nesting season. However, as a temporary measure we plan to utilize hand tools and manually restore the levee surface. Ironically, after the near-feverish pace of work to get to this point, the cleanup and restoration will be a slower operation and we thank you for your continued patience. After September 1st we’ll proceed with finalizing the surface restoration work.

Finally, you’ll recall that there is a 500-foot section of the levee near the San Carlos Airport which FAA regulations prohibit from being raised to the FEMA-required elevation, due to aircraft safety issues. Both agencies have expressed that they are open to the possibility of a device which would be deployed during storm/high tide events to temporarily create a higher barrier. We’re confident that our continued work with the FAA and FEMA will result in a solution that meets all our needs.

Again, thank you for your patience and understanding during the process of levee improvements for Redwood Shores. If you have questions about this project, please feel free to contact Peter Vorametsanti, City Engineer, at 780-7380, or via email at .