OneShoreline has successfully secured the required permits to complete targeted sediment removal at locations on San Bruno Creek, Belmont Creek, Cordilleras Creek, and Atherton Channel. Under these permits, in October 2025, OneShoreline took action in San Bruno Creek consistent with its flood protection responsibilities. Work under these permits by cities and/or transportation agencies can occur in the summer and early fall through 2030.   

 

Since OneShoreline was established in January 2020, “atmospheric river” storms have resulted in substantial flooding along many creeks throughout San Mateo County. Intense rainfall and extreme tides/storm surge, coupled with a lack of creek flow capacity, were leading causes of this flooding and removing built-up debris in creeks can help reduce flood risks today and in the future.

Debris management in creeks requires state and federal regulatory permits, and countywide permits are more efficient than working on one creek at a time under separate permits for each creek. Thus, immediately following widespread flooding in the winter of 2022–23, OneShoreline began work to secure 5-year permits to remove debris from four of our tidally influenced, most flood-prone creeks within six cities and an unincorporated County area.

The cumulative permanent riparian impact of this in-channel work in all four creeks will be just under 1,100 square feet, but the permitting of this work takes time and is expensive — on this effort costing approximately $525,000 in taxpayer dollars.