Since 1973, San Rafael has had several major floods affecting portions of the City.
-
The flood of January 1982 caused almost $17 million in damage, affecting residential, commercial and industrial property. Most of the damage was localized in East San Rafael and Santa Venetia.
-
The floods of 1985 and 1998 were caused by high tides, northeasterly winds, saturated soils and one inch of rain per hour.
-
The most recent floods of December 2005 and April 2006 caused over $100 million in damage countywide.
San Rafael drains into four stream groups:
- Miller Creek - This creek, which drains Lucas Valley, runs parallel to Lucas Valley Road towards San Pablo Bay.
- Gallinas Creek - The north fork of Gallinas Creek drains the Smith Ranch Road sub-watershed, the Northgate Industrial area and Terra Linda along Manual T. Freitas Parkway. The south fork of Gallinas Creek drains the Civic Center Lagoon, the auditorium channel, including Los Ranchitos, Northgate Shopping Center, and Santa Venetia.
- San Rafael Canal - This canal drains San Rafael Hill, Point San Pedro peninsula, Southern Heights Ridge and Point San Quentin Ridge.
- Mahone Creek - This creek drains the western portion of San Rafael in the low-lying area of Gerstle Park and the 4th Street and H Street. This drains into the San Rafael Creek.
Most storm water and sewage pumping stations in the City of San Rafael have auxiliary generators in case of power outages. Those that are not equipped with generators will be provided with a mobile generator should the need arise.
San Rafael has a levee system that extends from Grand Avenue south and east along the Bay front. The Canal neighborhood is on landfill and is approximately 3 feet above sea level. A section of the levee, the Canal-Ways Levee is not owned or maintained by the City. It is of particular concern because if that portion of the levee were to fail or overtop, flood water would inundate Highway 101 and Interstate 580 and would reach downtown San Rafael via Lindro and Anderson.
More Information
NWS – San Francisco Bay Area Office
Marin County Real-Time Rainfall, Creek Data, & Weather Stations