San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District

San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District
Name	San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District
Formation	2019
Type	Special district
Headquarters	Redwood City, California
Region served	San Mateo County, California
Leader title	Executive Director

Contents

San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District is a special district created to coordinate flood protection and sea level rise adaptation in San Mateo County, California, formed through regional action following statewide policy shifts. It integrates planning, engineering, and community engagement to address risks identified in studies from California Coastal Commission, United States Geological Survey, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The District operates alongside local agencies such as San Mateo County, City of Redwood City, and San Mateo County Harbor District while aligning with statutes like the California Coastal Act and initiatives including the California Climate Adaptation Strategy.

History

The District was established in 2019 after coordinating efforts among entities including San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, the Bay Area Toll Authority, and advocacy groups such as the Trust for Public Land, following scientific reports from Pacific Institute, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and United States Army Corps of Engineers. Its formation responded to regional impacts documented after events like the Winter storms of 2016–17 in California and planning frameworks such as the Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Project. Founding deliberations referenced precedents like the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and federal programs including FEMA hazard mitigation guidance. Early milestones included adoption of a multi-jurisdictional flood resilience plan coordinated with San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and technical partnerships with California Department of Parks and Recreation and California State Coastal Conservancy.

The District's board structure draws members appointed by jurisdictions including San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, cities such as Daly City, California, Menlo Park, and East Palo Alto, California, as well as agencies like San Mateo County Flood Control District. Executive leadership interacts with advisory bodies comprised of representatives from institutions such as Stanford University, San Francisco Estuary Institute, and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Legal and policy oversight references California statutes including the California Water Code and governance models from entities like the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors. Administrative functions coordinate with procurement norms used by California State Association of Counties and standards from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The District's jurisdiction encompasses coastal and low-lying areas across San Mateo County, California, including waterfronts in Redwood City, California, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, California, and the San Mateo County Coast. Service areas intersect with transportation corridors such as U.S. Route 101 in California and transit hubs like San Francisco International Airport, while coastal ecosystems include portions of San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean shoreline. Overlap with special districts includes San Mateo County Harbor District and regional authorities such as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, requiring coordination with the Peninsula Clean Energy program and water management by Coastside County Water District.

Programmatic work includes development of large-scale projects similar in scope to the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, design of living shoreline pilots inspired by Living Shorelines implementations and collaborative flood protection strategies akin to those in the Netherlands, implemented with technical partners such as Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars-affiliated researchers and engineers from firms experienced with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contracts. Projects span nature-based solutions in marshes referenced by the Suisun Marsh restoration literature, urban drainage upgrades aligned with American Rivers best practices, and floodplain mapping consistent with Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance rate map revisions. Implementation pilots have targeted neighborhoods adjacent to San Francisquito Creek and facility protection for assets like the San Mateo County Event Center and Caltrain infrastructure.

Financing mechanisms combine local levies modeled after the Measure AA (2016) Bay restoration parcel tax, regional sales tax measures akin to Measure RR (San Francisco Bay Restoration), state grants from the California Department of Water Resources and California Natural Resources Agency, and federal funding sources such as the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The District explores bond issuance and special parcel assessments referencing precedents like Los Angeles County Flood Control District financing, and coordinates grant proposals with institutions including the Environmental Protection Agency and philanthropic funders such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

The District maintains partnerships with municipalities including City of Menlo Park, tribal organizations such as the Ramaytush Ohlone, research institutions like San Francisco State University and University of California, Berkeley, and nongovernmental organizations such as the SPAWN (San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge)-type conservation advocates and the Bay Area Council. Community engagement follows models used by California Coastal Conservancy public outreach, stakeholder advisory committees akin to those convened by San Francisco Estuary Partnership, and technical working groups formed with Association of Bay Area Governments and Metropolitan Transportation Commission participation.

Planning integrates regional frameworks including the Resilient by Design competition outcomes and policy tools from the California Coastal Commission and San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. Regulatory compliance draws on statutes such as the California Environmental Quality Act for environmental review and federal laws like the National Environmental Policy Act for projects with federal funding, while permits are coordinated with agencies including the United States Army Corps of Engineers and California Regional Water Quality Control Board. Long-term strategies reference sea level rise projections from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports to align adaptation pathways with state planning initiatives led by the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research.