Flood Free San Mateo

🌧️ Help shape the future of stormwater management! 🌧️
Starting today, residents can use the City’s new public comment map to report historical flooding locations as part of the Storm Drain Master Plan.

🗺️ Interactive & easy to use
🌐 Available in English & Spanish
📹 How-To video included!
⚠️ Active flooding? Call Public Works at 650-522-7300.
Access the Public Comment Map:

Storm Drain Master Plan Public Comment Map • San Mateo Help Shape the Future of Stormwater Management! Have you experienced flooding in your neighborhood? The City of San Mateo has launched an interactive Storm Drain Master Plan public comment map where residents can share past flooding experiences.

Flood Free San Mateo Initiative, and the Latest on Stormwater:

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

Thank you to those who attended Sunday's care package and letter writing campaign at the Elks Lodge! It was great to see the community come together for an important cause to support San Mateo's local military unit, ABU (101st Airborne).

I know another critical topic for many, are the efforts regarding Stormwater. Our Flood Free San Mateo Adhoc committee will be meeting with City Staff on November 18, 2025 to receive an update on progress being made. The broader public will receive an update during a Council meeting in January of 2026.

----
SEE THE LATEST ON PROJECT UPDATES BELOW:

🌧️ Current Projects & Planning Efforts

1. Storm Drain Master Plan Update

City staff is completing a comprehensive update of our Storm Drain Master Plan, including a detailed condition assessment of key creeks, storm pipes, and pump stations.
➡️ This plan will guide future stormwater investments and help prioritize flood reduction projects citywide.

2. Marina Lagoon Spot Dredging

Scheduled for Summer 2026, this targeted dredging effort will improve water flow at two key outfalls (16th and 19th Avenue channels).
Lessons learned will inform a larger, long-term dredging project in the future.
Learn more here: www.cityofsanmateo.org/4882/Marina-Lagoon-Spot-Dredging

3. Wet Weather Preparation

Since the 2022–23 winter storms, City staff has significantly expanded our storm readiness efforts. Thanks to new resources from the stormwater initiative, crews are better equipped to prepare for heavy rainfall and flooding.
➡️ The next City Council update on wet weather readiness—and the Storm Drain Master Plan—will take place in late January.

4. Climate Adaptation Plan

Looking ahead, we are also planning for the future impacts of rainfall and sea level rise. With funding from a Caltrans grant, the Climate Adaptation Plan will identify resilience strategies to protect the community from climate-based hazards. This is one of my core Blue Sky initiatives for 2025, along with prepping for the 16th and 19th Avenue dredging initiatives in 2026.

⚙️ Marina Lagoon Pump Station Assessment

Following the 2022–23 storms, City staff conducted investigations into flooding causes. The New Year’s Eve storm exceeded the lagoon pump station’s design capacity—inflow rates surpassed the 100-year storm threshold for several durations.

Since then, we’ve:
✅ Repaired engines at all pump stations
✅ Launched efforts to prevent future failures
✅ Begun physical modeling of the Marina Lagoon Pump Station to assess safe operating conditions and potential improvements

You can view past pump station assessments here:
🔗 www.cityofsanmateo.org/1067/Water-Levels-and-Flood-Control

💬 Stay Involved

We invite all interested residents to attend our November 18th meeting to hear updates, share feedback, and learn more about how the City is preparing for future storm events.

For questions or to stay informed on future meetings, you can also visit the Marina Lagoon webpage or message me directly @gmail.com

Best,

Danielle Cwirko-Godycki

C: 650-398-6409

E: [email protected]

After Danielle Cwirko-Godycki’s home in San Mateo flooded last winter, she began campaigning for a new parcel tax to pay for improved flood infrastructure. Thanks to a community-wide effort, the measure passed with 52% of the vote last month.

https://buff.ly/3SFmqqO

Photo: Flood Free San Mateo

The City of San Mateo
Flood Free San Mateo

We did it! So incredibly grateful to the community for rallying behind this measure and making it happen!

San Mateo voters pass stormwater fee San Mateo property owners voted in favor of the Community Flood and Stormwater Protection Initiative, which will enact a monthly fee meant to provide a dedicated source of funding to