Bayside levee talks, Foster City

The Daily Journal/Samantha Weigel, 8/29/15. "Sea level rise spurs levee talks:  Local, state, federal reps collaborate on improvement project."

Foster City planning for
sea level rise starting now.

"Preparing to take on one of Foster City’s most significant projects in the Bayside community’s history prompted federal, state, county and local officials to gather Friday  (8/28/15) to discuss a levee project aimed at adapting to sea level rise.  The catalyst of the multi-million effort is to meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s standards for a 100-year-storm and prevent nearly 9,000 properties from being subject to costly flood insurance.

....  Striving to bring everyone to the table to air any concerns upfront and format a collaborative process that will ideally result in a new levee by 2020, also brought officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and more."   Read article.

Reference:  City of Foster City, Public Works Department.  Lagoon and Levee Systems. "Lagoon System.  The Foster City Lagoon as a drainage detention basin is designed to withstand successfully a storm of 100 year return frequency, or a storm of such severity that it is likely to occur only once each century. The lagoon therefore provides maximum drainage security for Foster City. Stormwater collected throughout the City flows to the Foster City Lagoon. All storm water enters the storm drain system through curb inlets and catch basins, and drains into the lagoon from which it is pumped into the bay.  Levee System. Foster City's Levee system is primarily designed for flood protection. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has certified Foster City's levee as providing protection from the 1-percent annual chance (base) flood."

Levee Protection Planning and Improvements Project. "This project will raise the levee to meet the required elevation per Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), section 65.10, to retain accreditation. Based on the FEMA coastal flood hazard study, roughly 85 percent of Foster City's levee system does not meet the required freeboard elevation. Therefore, the levee will not retain accreditation status when the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is updated in mid-2016. ..."    Note photograph:  Foster City levee from this project reference.

Posted by Kathy Meeh