At Monday’s Seal Beach City Council meeting a parade of speakers testified about last week’s flooding--known as Lake Bridgeport—and the adequacy of the city’s pumping/flood control system. Resident Joan Lyon Was “devastated” at the loss of her prized Corvette, which was totaled by the flooding. City engineer Michael Ho confirmed to www.OC180NEWS.com the storm water system was not built to the specifications in the city’s general plan.

One of the hardest hit Bridgeport properties sustaining storm damage was The Pacific Inn at 600 Marina Drive. JP Ferguson, General Manager, indicated it was the first flooding he has seen since he came to the hotel in 2005. The facility had significant water damage in the garage and the office area. He told us he understood the area was at risk for flooding, so “all my computers are three feet off the floor.”

Perhaps the most emotional testimony at the city council meeting came from Joan Lyon of Corsair Way. She appeared near tears as she described how important her Corvette was to her and that she was shocked and astonished when she opened her door to see the car in knee deep water. She told us there was about 2 inches of water inside the car and that because the electrical system had been damaged, the insurance company totaled her prized possession. She seemed close to choking up when she described the salvage company taking away the car.

Even though the city nearly doubled the capacity of the West End Pump Station, WEPS, in 2007, the increased pumping power was not enough to avert flooding last week. The current pumping power is 200 cfs (cubic feet per second), but this capacity is further limited to 148 cfs because the pipes are not large enough to handle the volume from the pumps. . In 2008, the City issued an updated Master Plan of Drainage which states that 25-year storm protection will require a pumping capacity of 296 cps.

So, the existing capacity is half of what is needed to achieve “25 year” protection. The greater level of capacity was not installed due to the high cost. Also, Michael Ho indicated there are restrictions on making any changes to the pipes because there are conflicting oil lines directly below the storm drains.

Dr. Robert Goldberg, a frequent speaker at city council meetings, presented a detailed list of issues associated with the storm water system in the Bridgeport area. Yesterday Dr. Goldberg provided www.OC180NEWS.com with a written copy of his oral comments at the meeting. According to Goldberg, “The City’s consulting storm drain engineer informs me that he was told by City staff that the WEPS pumps were able to handle all of the incoming water without excessive rise in the water levels in the station’s well. If true, he speculates that the flooding on 1st Street and Corsair are due to upstream obstructions.”

Dr. Goldberg concluded his remarks with several questions directed to city staff.
“What was the intensity of the storm that caused the recent flooding?
What was the limiting factor in the drainage system that caused the flooding? The pumping capacity or an upstream restriction?
What was the state of maintenance of the catch basins and collection system prior to the storm?”

Michael Ho told www.OC180NEWS.com that the catch basins were free of obstruction, the pumps were operating properly, and the lines were clear. He attributed the flooding to simply too much water over a short period of time. He also told us that in response to Dr. Goldberg’s comments, the city staff was preparing a full report to be presented to the city council in two to four weeks.

That could prod the city toward a longer term solution, but it will not offer much solace to Joan Lyon over the loss of her much beloved Corvette.
She told www.OC180NEWS .com that the city has responsibility for her financial and emotional losses because she believed the flooding problem had been corrected. But Michael Ho said that the area is a known flood area and there are signs posting flood warnings.

He also told us that the “city could do anything with enough money.” With several million dollars of storm water projects, the city could provide “25 year protection”. But, this simply means a storm which drops a specified amount of water in a given amount of time, might happen no less often then every 25 years. Perhaps the storms of last week will not be repeated for 25 years and such protection would still not prevent flooding. The storms dropped a little over five inches on Seal Beach last week, but the important issue is how much came down in a short period of time, such as an hour.

These storms produced over an inch during most of each day last week, and that would not even constitute a “2 year storm”. But if most of that came down in an hour, it could be more like a 10 to 20 year storm. The County Public Works department has not analyzed the data to say how much was concentrated in the worse downpour last Tuesday afternoon,.

Certainly there will be more information on this subject as the city completes its report in two to four weeks and the intensity of the storm—meaning how much rain during short periods—becomes available. Stay tuned to www.OC180NEWS.com