Flood Control Plan Includes Catch Basins in San Anselmo and Fairfax

Officials are moving forward with a $130 million effort to divert storm water to catch basins in Ross, San Anselmo and Fairfax, according to the Marin Independent Journal.

The work, which will require retrofitting Phoenix Lake and creating water detention basins in San Anselmo and Fairfax, will hopefully prevent another “100-year” flood similar to what drowned the area twice in 30 years.

Supervisor Katie Rice told the IJ the project will take more than 10 years. The plans won’t be finalized until after discussions with local councils, the Marin Municipal Water District and many others. 

The water basins would be located at:

• Memorial Park in San Anselmo
• Red Hill Park in San Anselmo
• Lefty Gomez Field in Fairfax
• Loma Alta in Fairfax

While some of the county’s budget and state and federal grants will help pay for the project, 35 percent of the work will be funded by a fee voters narrowly approved five years ago, according to the IJ.

Rice told the IJ that the fee will remain the same this year, even though it is allowed a 3 percent increase every year. 

While the projects are somewhat distant from completion, other flood-related issues may be more pressing to San Anselmo and Fairfax residents, such as the . 

Residents need to look at the draft maps, which were released earlier this year, and determine if their home is in one of the high-risk flood areas. 

If a property owner’s land falls into new high-risk zones, they may want to expedite plans to build or change their home (including expanding a home, getting a hot tub or building a deck or fence) before the maps are approved next year; homes that fall into the newly designated “floodways” will face future development and expansion restrictions.

The may also change flood insurance rates and requirements for homeowners.

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