This week’s king tides are testing an aging levee in Marin County, and officials say the bigger tests come later this year.
Seepage in Santa Venetia
A 2-mile, timber-reinforced berm along Gallinas Creek protects about 700 homes in Santa Venetia, an unincorporated neighborhood of San Rafael. “This week’s high tides caused water to seep through or beneath portions of the timber-reinforced berm,” Marin County Supervisor Mary Sackett told SFGATE. “With even higher King Tides anticipated around Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have a limited window to strengthen the most vulnerable areas.”
The Marin County Flood Control District is preparing emergency measures, including steel sheet pile, protective sheeting, sandbags and water-filled barriers, SFGATE reported. (Background: the county’s floodwall plan and easement requests.)
Flooded roads
Caltrans closed the ramp from northbound Highway 101 to Highway 1 in Mill Valley during high tide, NBC Bay Area reported. A Caltrans spokesperson said that ramp has been closed several times this month. Lucky Drive in Corte Madera also flooded, and the station’s helicopter showed water in Sausalito and Belvedere.
The advisory
The National Weather Service extended its coastal flood advisory through 6 p.m. Sunday for low-lying shoreline areas around San Pablo, San Francisco and Monterey bays. Flooding of up to 1.9 feet is possible near the shore and tidal waterways.
San Francisco’s preparations
In San Francisco, the SFMTA is staging sandbags, sump pumps and generators, John Becker, the agency’s acting chief infrastructure officer, told NBC Bay Area. Trouble spots include Cesar Chavez and Illinois streets near Islais Creek, and the Embarcadero tunnel. (See also: which neighborhoods flood in king tides.)