State Funding for San Ramon Canyon Project Seen as Likely

Rancho Palos Verdes learned this week that it's up for a large state grant that would partially fund the stabilization of San Ramon Canyon, where serious erosion has potential to cause irreparable damage to the area.

On Wednesday, the city was notified it had been recommended for funding of a $9.4-million grant from the state Department of Water Resources (DWR) for the San Ramon Canyon Stormwater Flood Control Project.

The grant amount is one-half of the current estimate to complete the project and is the maximum amount that can be awarded under the grant’s guidelines.

"While the award is not yet guaranteed, the city feels it is well positioned to be successful through this process," according to a press release from the city's Public Works Department.

The city’s project ranked eighth out of the 41 projects that applied for funds from the state’s $212-million Stormwater Flood Management Grant program, the first 17 of which received a recommendation for all or partial funding.

"This is very good news," Mayor Tom Long said in a statement. "[The grant] provides an amount of money that would take the city years to accumulate on its own if it were even possible to do so. If the grant is awarded the project becomes much more likely to proceed in the near future.”

The project, which is currently in the final design stage and environmental review process, aims to mitigate the effects of .

Runoff flowing through the canyon, which is immediately adjacent to the Palos Verdes Drive East switchbacks, erodes the canyon walls and delivers mud and debris to 25th Street in San Pedro, just beyond the city’s eastern border.

For years, rains have caused such severe flooding and erosion at San Ramon Canyon that it threatened two vital roadways and more than 250 senior citizens’ homes at the bottom of The Hill.

The project is expected to cost about $20 million.

The recommendation is subject to a 15-day public comment period ending Oct. 5, followed by a final decision of the state water resources Director Mark Cowin.