Santa Venetia flood berm project faces huge funding gap [The Marin Independent Journal, Novato, Calif.]

Mar. 8—Many questions remain regarding how a rapidly deteriorating flood wall shielding 115 homes in San Rafael can be replaced, most notably how the project will be paid for.

Marin County supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a contract extension with CSW Stuber-Stroeh Engineering, which is working to complete a design for the Santa Venetia floodwall replacement. The recommended design would be constructed of composite sheet pile and is estimated to cost $14.3 million.

That estimate doesn't include an additional $4 million that the county's Department of Public Works has budgeted for acquiring right of way agreements with the 111 property owners who border the wall, or an additional $500,000 in projected environmental remediation costs.

According to a report prepared by public works official Berenice Davidson, the county has about $2.6 million available to pay for the project. That includes $1 million in American Rescue Act money, $300,000 in Flood Zone 7 funds, $800,000 from the county and a $500,000 loan.

"So we're still short by $16.8 million," Davidson told supervisors.

Supervisor Mary Sackett said, "I think what we have in front of us is an unfunded project, but I see this as one step towards getting closer to being able to have a project."

The county was expected to break ground last summer on a previous plan to rebuild the berm, which was expected to cost just $6 million, with construction costs accounting for $4 million. That plan had to be scrapped when an updated construction cost estimate came in at over $12 million in March 2022.

The berm, which extends from Meadow Drive to Vendola Drive, was built in 1984 atop an earthen levee/berm following devastating flooding in 1982 and 1983. The Santa Venetia neighborhood was built on landfill that has compressed over the years, leaving it below the high tide level today.

During the public comment portion of the supervisors' meeting, Montgomery Smith, who lives at 107 Vendola Drive, talked about his experience during a big storm this winter.

"It's kind of frightening," Smith said, "because if it had been a king tide, we would have been at a breach at our property or very close to it."

Robert Stevens, president of CSW, said, "It's important to note that the Army Corps of Engineers did a previous study that indicated that this timber-reinforced berm would likely fail if a flood event presented itself."

The supervisors also voted Tuesday to approve a $62,975 contract with Sicular Environmental Consulting to do analysis necessary under the California Environmental Quality Act on the new design. Stevens said the environmental review being done by Sicular will supply him with the additional information he needs to complete the project design.

One important question Sicular's analysis will address is whether access for the project can be gained via the water rather than through residents' properties. According to Stevens, the composite sheet pile design would be about $2 million cheaper than using timber and would require virtually no maintenance.

Davidson said the annual cost of maintaining the existing timber-reinforced berm has increased from $10,000 in 2013 to $150,000 in 2023.

Much of the discussion of the project Tuesday revolved around the potential for future funding by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The county's Flood Control and Water Conservation District Zone 7 received a $2.98 million grant from FEMA in 2020 for the design and construction of a new berm.

When that project proved more costly than expected, FEMA allowed the flood district to reallocate $1.5 million of the grant for additional design, environmental compliance and public outreach activities.

Davidson said the flood district has spent $1.2 million on the project so far, and FEMA has covered $900,000 of that cost. Whether the district will be able to secure additional FEMA grants for the new project design is unclear.

Davidson said FEMA has told the flood district that it is ineligible for at least one category of grants because there are no residents within Zone 7 who are National Flood Insurance Policy holders. Several Santa Venetia residents, however, have challenged that assessment.

"This statement is categorically false as I know for a fact that there are people with FEMA insurance in this neighborhood," Jami Ellerman wrote in an email.

Alan Scotch wrote in an email, "We know there are at least 2."

Davidson said the Department of Public Works lacks access to the insurance data and has asked FEMA to explain the discrepancy.

Another obstacle the flood district faces is a FEMA requirement that it own or control any property that might be included in the project for which it is seeking funding. So far, the district has secured permanent easements for only about 16 of the 111 properties that would be affected.

"We have multiple steps ahead of us," Supervisor Katie Rice said.

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