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Redwood City Stormwater Roadmap Purpose and Importance September 2025 1-1 Schaaf & Wheeler 1 Purpose and Importance Redwood City is highly vulnerable to flooding due to its geography, aging infrastructure, and proximity to rising sea levels. According to the Sea-Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Planning Study (ESA, 2024), much of the City’s shoreline infrastructure, including levees and pump stations, is susceptible to future inundation from a combination of tidal flooding, sea-level rise, and groundwater emergence. This growing risk underscores the need for a proactive, coordinated approach to stormwater management. Public concern reflects this urgency. In The National Community Survey Report of Results (POLCO, 2023), only 41% of respondents rated the quality of storm drainage in Redwood City as “good,” well below the national benchmark of 63%. Additionally, when asked to prioritize infrastructure investments, stormwater improvements ranked among the most important areas of focus, on par with street maintenance and sidewalk repair. The Stormwater Roadmap is a strategic planning document that outlines recommended actions to assess, maintain, and upgrade the City’s stormwater system. It includes both near-term and long-term recommendations and is designed to:  Guide the near-term production of a comprehensive Stormwater Master Plan with cost estimates.  Recommend a financial strategy to support implementation and long-term resilience.  Assist in the development of a Stormwater Program to support ongoing stormwater resiliency. This Roadmap integrates existing City data, including GIS infrastructure inventories, historical flood studies, recent maintenance reports, and community feedback. It also supports compliance with state and regional regulations, including the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, 2022), the Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (BCDC, 2024), and the California Sea-Level Rise Guidance (Ocean Protection Council, 2024). While not a substitute for a full Stormwater Master Plan, the Roadmap provides the foundational steps necessary to transition the City from a reactive to a proactive stormwater management program. By creating a plan to identify the most critical needs and defining a sequence for study, funding, and project delivery, the Roadmap equips the City to better protect public safety, infrastructure, and the environment under both current and future conditions. 11.A. - Page 12 of 53 443