Stormwater Master Plan

The City is in the process of developing a comprehensive Stormwater Master Plan (SWMP). The SWMP will provide a comprehensive planning framework for managing stormwater runoff and improving the City’s drainage infrastructure. It will identify existing issues such as flooding and facilities which are nearing or past the end of their useful life by analyzing data and modeling stormwater behavior. The SWMP will also develop and prioritize capital improvement projects based on a social equity and risk assessment-based model. Prioritization would consider a variety of factors including community impacts, alignment with regulatory compliance and water quality goals, funding availability, climate change adaptation, and more.

GET INVOLVED

As part of the extensive data collection effort required to complete the SWMP, the City is building a database of known drainage hotspots.

A storm drainage hotspot is any location where storm runoff is not draining properly. This could include any of the following:

• Flooding or ponding
• Storm flows running down the street during a storm
• Water overflowing the banks of a ditch or creek

City records, including service request and work order data, are being used to map known hotspots but the public is encouraged to supplement the available records with their own observations regarding drainage issue hotspots.

Use the survey linked below to report any flooding or drainage issue hotspots you know from your neighborhood, work, and/or places you pass through or spend time in Berkeley. 

REPORT A DRAINAGE ISSUE

Information entered through this survey will help ground-truth City records and provide information the City can use to better plan and prioritize upgrades to City owned drainage and creek facilities. 

Public Engagement Opportunities

Public input is critical to the successful implementation of the SWMP. With this understanding, the City and its consultant team will engage with the public through informational meetings and workshops at various stages of the SWMP’s development. At these meetings, members of the public will have the opportunity to learn about and provide feedback on several of the SWMP’s components including climate change and sea level rise implementation, capital improvement plan prioritization, and Aquatic Park. Information about these meetings, including schedule info, and presentation materials will be published in this section of the project webpage once meetings are scheduled.