Marin tidal flooding prompts renewed push for fortification

As another wave of rain hit Marin County on Monday morning, U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman and top county officials toured sites hit hardest by the weekend flooding and pledged to continue their efforts to shore up vulnerable infrastructure.

“This area has been worried about events like this for a long time,” said Huffman, standing on a raised road to Santa Margarita Island in the Santa Venetia neighborhood of San Rafael. Behind Huffman was a muddy creek bordered by an earthen levee that abutted the backyards of dozens of homes on Vendola Drive.

The 75-year-old levee had multiple failures in recent days, from seepage and water overtopping it to a partial collapse at one home, county officials said.

“This is not sustainable in the long term, a levee like this,” Huffman said of the berm that was reinforced with timber after a mid-1980s flood. “Especially with these tides and all of the volatility with our weather. We’re not going to give up on funding that longer-term solution.”

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