San Mateo County pledges $15M to combat flooding

DALY CITY, Calif. - The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors pledged $15 million earlier this month to combat flooding in the northern part of the county and parts of San Francsico.

The funding will go to the Vista Grande Watershed Project to combat flooding following overflows in Lake Merced in San Francisco, which borders Daly City.

"When San Francisco's Lake Merced overflows it floods in north San Mateo County five hours later, and during heavy rains, the floods can cause extensive property damage," Supervisor David Canepa said in a press release. "This is an aging and historic sewer system that needs some serious plumbing that will need to adapt to a changing climate."

Daly City, which leads the project, will expand the capacity of the Vista Grande Drainage Basin to better manage conveyance of stormwater to the Pacific Ocean.

"These efforts would reduce uncontrolled overflows from the Vista Grande Canal into Lake Merced, while achieving a sustained increase in Lake Merced water levels, improving storm water quality, and providing further restoration of the drainage basin's natural hydrology," a statement from the city read.

The project is a partnership between San Mateo County, Daly City, the North San Mateo County Sanitation District, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Caltrans and other stakeholders.

"The Vista Grande Project is the largest public works project in the history of Daly City and one of the most critical," Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo said.

"It will replace and upgrade undersized pipeline and drainage systems for this region while enhancing environmental protections. I join with the residents of Daly City in thanking Supervisor Canepa and the County Board of Supervisors for their support and partnership in this vital project," Manalo added.

The construction of the new facilities is expected to begin in 2025.