New project to prevent flooding near Bayfront Canal and Atherton Channel

The Atherton Channel and the Bayfront Canal meet near the border between Redwood City and Menlo Park, east of Highway 101 and north of Marsh Road near the entrance of Bedwell Bayfront Park. The combined flows empty into San Francisco Bay. For the past several decades, high tides have kept stormwater from draining properly, and even minor rainfall events have resulted in nearby flooding of streets and businesses.

Menlo Park joined with Redwood City, Atherton, and San Mateo County to establish shared funding responsibilities for the design, environmental documentation, land rights, construction, and maintenance of a project to reduce the frequency and impacts of flooding. The San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District was formed in January 2020 and assumed the lead role to complete the project.

• The project consists of underground concrete culverts that divert excess flow from Bayfront Canal and Atherton Channel into managed ponds within the Ravenswood Complex of the South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project.
• The project features will be within and along Bayfront Canal, Flood Slough, the entrance to Bedwell Bayfront Park, and the managed ponds owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• The successful implementation of this project will protect developed areas of Menlo Park, Redwood City and unincorporated San Mateo County against frequent flood events, provide water quality and ecosystem benefits to the managed ponds, and complement flood protection efforts upstream along Atherton Channel.

The project, scheduled to begin in mid-April and continue until the end of the year, is expected to have significant impacts on the entrance of Bedwell Bayfront Park. Park visitors should anticipate potential delays due to construction and be prepared to follow established traffic control. More details will be announced as they become available.

For more information, visit the San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District’s Bayfront Canal and Atherton Channel Flood Management project webpage.

From Menlo Updates; used with permission