Title
Receive a status update on the Carmel River Floodplain Restoration and Environmental Enhancement (CRFREE) Project (REF140048).
Report
It is recommended that the Capital Improvement Committee:
a. Receive a status update on the Carmel River Floodplain Restoration and Environmental Enhancement (CRFREE) Project (REF140048).
SUMMARY
On June 15, 2021, the Board of Supervisors approved the Carmel River Floodplain Restoration and Environmental Enhancement (CRFREE) Project (Project). The CRFREE Project is a comprehensive effort to improve flood control and restore native riparian habitat, floodplain habitat, and hydrologic function to a portion of the lower floodplain along the Carmel River. Following the CRFREE Project construction, over 150 properties in County Service Area 50 (CSA 50) will be entirely removed from the 100-year floodplain, and all of the property within the CSA 50 jurisdictional boundary will have 100-year flood elevations reduced by up to 2 feet following a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Letter of Map Revision (LOMR). Public trails will be constructed to connect California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) land to the west of Highway 1 with Monterey Peninsula Regional Parks District land to the east. Big Sur Land Trust will maintain 35 acres of the CRFREE project area property for agricultural use to preserve the historic agricultural nature of the property. Key construction aspects of the project are to: 1) Create notches in the levees along the south bank of the lower Carmel River, 2) Restore the south lower Carmel River floodplain, and 3) Build a causeway under Highway 1, connecting the south lower Carmel River Floodplain with the south arm of the Carmel Lagoon. The Project is entirely grant funded and is expected to become fully funded and ready to begin the construction bid process in late 2024.
DISCUSSION
Housing and Community Development (HCD) and Public Works, Facilities and Parks (PWFP) staff are worki...
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