FEMA Helping Rio Del Mar Fix Flooding

How Will The County Pay For the Rest of the Work?

By Jondi Gumz

For 35 years or more, whenever there are heavy rains, the Rio Del Mar beach community alongside Aptos Creek and Monterey Bay suffers flooding.

The stormwater fills the streets and leaves a mess. Sometimes streets are impassable for rescue vehicles, preventing a safe evacuation for 44 homes and businesses in the Rio Flats, and more than 400 homes along Beach Drive.

Now a solution is on the horizon: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has granted $3.6 million to Santa Cruz County toward a $4.8 million stormwater project to end this chronic flooding.

The remaining $1.2 million must come from non-federal sources.

“The local cost share is something that has not been directly addressed with our members or discussed as a community,” said Donna Townsend, president of the Rio Del Mar Home Improvement Association, who sees flooding every time there is heavy rain.

Steven Allen, president of Allen Property Group and co-owner with his wife, of the Rio Sands hotel, said, “I think the addition of stormwater drainage would be great. Tourists are reluctant to come down to the esplanade during a flood and the improvements would help business in the winter.”

Asked if residents and businesses can afford to pitch in during a pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the economy, Allen said, “Timing of a collective $1,200,000 assessment could not be worse for businesses in the area that have been forced to close or have seen drastic reductions to 2020 revenues. It is also not a good year to increase tax assessments for property owners, many of which will likely struggle just to pay property tax during the pandemic recession.”

He added, “I also understand that these improvements would unfortunately not do anything to decrease the cost of flood insurance in the area; the cost of which increased 25 percent, from previous year, for our property. It would be ideal if the county could find a way to fund the entire project, or at very least postpone until we see an economic recovery.”

History

Flooding has been so persistent it prompted Aptos History Museum curator John Hibble to co-present a talk in January with Kent Edler, Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works assistant director, titled, “Water, water everywhere: A history of the floodplain.”

A century ago, the area known as Rio Del Mar Flats at the mouth of Aptos Creek was frequently flooded, essentially a estuary where people would go boating.

Here is some history from veteran coastal scientist and author Gary Griggs: A Southern California real estate investor, Fred Somers, formed the Aptos Company, which teamed up with Monroe, Lyon and Miller, a development group from San Francisco, with the idea of building 584 homes and a golf course.

The first subdivision took place in 1925, and concrete retaining walls were built in 1926 to channel Aptos Creek. The swampy area was filled with soil and rock from a hill a tenth of a mile away, raising the flats by seven feet. In 1928, a concrete dam was built across Aptos Creek — where the pedestrian bridge is today — forming “the world’s largest fresh water swimming pool,” according to the promotions of the time. A pavilion with showers, dressing rooms and lockers came next.

With Aptos Creek confined to a narrow channel, the water — especially at high tides — goes over the concrete retaining wall and into its natural floodplain, according to Griggs.

Development, aging infrastructure and sea level rise have contributed to the problem, according to FEMA, which is awarding the money from its hazard mitigation program to help the community become more resilient to potential infrastructure damage and reduce future disaster costs.

Timeline

FEMA’s announcement said, “The new system will improve flood protection five-fold” by permitting the free flow of floodwater, eliminating backwater accumulation, and reducing the time contaminants remain in the sensitive habitat of Aptos Creek, home threatened and endangered fish species.

“We’re hoping to get the project out to bid in early 2021 (shooting for February) and awarding to a contractor by April 2021,” said Kent Edler, who will oversee the project for the county.

County supervisor Zach Friend, who represents District 2 in Aptos, said excavations are proposed on parts of Aptos Beach Drive, Venetian Road, Rio Del Mar Blvd. and Beach Drive.

He expects construction will take six to seven months.

The job will be advertised at www.procurenow.com.

“We will also try to reach out to specialized contractors and/or possible subcontractors,” Friend said.