Redwood City is happy to report that levee improvements around Redwood Shores have been fully completed. The levee pathways have been restored and construction staging areas have been cleared.

Concurrent with this work, the City has been seeking FEMA certification of the levee improvements, which in turn will result in the removal of the flood zone designation for Redwood Shores. The certification plans were submitted to FEMA in May. In mid-July FEMA notified the City that the package was under review, and that the final determination would be made by FEMA’s Risk Analysis Division in Washington DC. The City is very confident that levee certification is imminent.

In addition to the levee improvements, residents have noticed some additional signage and fencing along certain levee access points. These are being installed at the direction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as part of that agency’s requirement for the City to protect the habitat of special status species such as the California Clapper Rail and the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse. As a reminder, the segment of levee facing Bird Island, from the sewage treatment plant to the new Preserve at Redwood Shores development, is closed to the public, as mandated by the USFWS. We’re told by the USFWS that public access to other parts of the levee may be jeopardized if trespassing onto the restricted sections of levee continues.

The City would like to thank Redwood Shores residents for their patience during the levee improvements, and for complying with the levee access restrictions implemented by the USFWS.