San Mateo updates storm‑drain plan, starts pump‑station modeling and readies spot dredging

Public Works Director Matt Fabry told the San Mateo City Council during its Dec. 15 special meeting that the city has hired a consultant to build a physical hydraulic model of the Marina Lagoon pump station to evaluate whether it is safe to operate below the manufacturer’s recommended 95‑foot limit. Fabry said the physical modeling — needed because the pumps are larger than what standard computer models reliably simulate — should produce recommendations around the end of the fiscal year, roughly July.

"If we have the ability to pump lower, it gives us different operational capacity ... and potentially gives us additional storage capacity that can help us with larger storm events or future climate change scenarios," Fabry told the council.

Fabry also outlined progress on a long‑overdue storm‑drain master‑plan update. The consultant has completed a condition assessment (including televised pipeline inspections and manhole reviews) and…