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Clear Lake Council adopts citywide storm drain master plan; nine priority projects recommended
Summary
The council unanimously adopted a CDBG‑funded storm drain master plan and authorized staff to close out the grant; consultants identified nine priority projects, recommended a maintenance/GIS program and proposed steps to remove a Burns Valley overflow designation from FEMA maps.
The Clear Lake City Council on April 3 adopted a citywide storm drain master plan funded through a Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery program and authorized city staff to submit a closeout package to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
City staff introduced the public hearing and consultant Andrew Schwartz of California Engineering Company presented the plan’s purpose and findings. Schwartz described the master plan as a blueprint to inventory the stormwater system on public streets, identify vulnerabilities and prioritize practical, fundable improvements. The work included field surveys, lidar elevation mapping, drone photography for problem areas and hydrologic modeling of larger basins.
The consultant said the analysis covered roughly 26% of the city’s network for hydrologic modeling and identified junctions and pipes that surcharge or are at capacity under a 10‑year return period. The plan prioritizes nine projects the city could advance over a 5‑ to 8‑year capital improvement program; examples discussed at the hearing included a Burns Valley overflow/floodplain removal effort, a Lansing Avenue pond project to reduce chronic flooding on Lansing and Fry avenues, and improvements on Arrowhead Road. The consultant recommended a maintenance program tracked in GIS to schedule recurring cleaning and small repairs.
Council members asked several technical questions. Vice Mayor Sloughton and others asked whether Burns Valley Creek itself would require larger bank work; the consultant said the floodplain designation for the Burns Valley Overflow could be addressed by engineering analysis and a map revision process, although FEMA and map-review schedules can be lengthy. City staff said a map revision path exists but may require further city investment.
Council voted unanimously to adopt resolution 2025‑14 accepting completion of the storm drain master plan and authorized the city manager to submit the grant closeout to HCD under the state contract referenced in the staff report. The motion to approve the resolution was made by Vice Mayor Sloughton and seconded by Council Member Hooten; the council recorded a unanimous vote in the portal.
The plan’s recommendations will be used to seek grant funding and to guide capital improvements and maintenance scheduling; staff and the consultant suggested the plan improves the city’s competitiveness for future grants because it demonstrates a data‑driven approach to managing flood risk.
