Bert Rapp
City of Fillmore, Public Works Director

Answer: On January 10, 1995 flood waters cascaded down the north Fillmore cliff and filled homes on Fine Street with water and mud. Homes on 2nd Street and Lemon Way were inundated in “Lake Fillmore.” Hundreds of frantic residents worked through the night with volunteer Fillmore firefighters to build sandbag barriers to keep flood water out of their homes. Similar flood fights occurred in 1969, 1978, 1983, 1995, 1998 and 2005. The largest of these floods was a 50-year flood that occurred in 1969. We have yet to see a 100-year flood, but it will hit us someday.

The ultimate Central Avenue Storm Drain will dramatically reduce the flooding problems experienced in 1995 and other floods. It provides drainage to the area of east Fillmore that was built between 1910 and 1940’s and has no storm drains. It will divert the water to the Santa Clara River before it causes flood problems.

The natural slope of the land in Fillmore is such that flood waters take the longest possible route to the river. For example, the rain water that falls on the hillsides above Foothill Drive or in North Fillmore naturally flows through the city until it enters the Santa Clara River at D Street, threatening homes all along the way. This flooding is only reduced when it is captured by a storm drain that diverts it to the Sespe Creek or Santa Clara River.

The 5-foot diameter storm drain being installed in Central Avenue has been part of the City of Fillmore Master Plan of Drainage for the last 36 years. This construction will complete the drain from the Santa Clara River to Sespe Avenue. Future phases will extend the drain up to 4th Street with laterals serving the neighborhoods east of Central Avenue.

This phase will mitigate flooding downtown. Every additional block we are able to extend the drain up Central Avenue the greater the flood relief for homes on Galvin lane, Fine Street and Fern Glen, 2nd Street/Lemon Way area and along Price Street, Ortega Street and Village Square.

Contrary to popular rumor, this storm drain is being built to solve existing flooding problems not to serve some mega development on the hills above Fillmore. If such a development were to occur some type of totally separate storm drain system would have to be built.

This phase of the Central Avenue storm drain could have been constructed in A Street or Central Avenue. Before choosing the street the City took a survey of business and property owners on both streets. The feedback was overwhelmingly in favor of placing it in Central Avenue because it would provide immediate flood relief for downtown.

The construction is difficult for the business downtown so I hope everyone will make an extra effort to shop and eat at the businesses downtown. While some parts of Central Avenue are closed to vehicles it will always be open to pedestrians.

If you have questions regarding our public infrastructure please send them to: Bert J. Rapp, P.E., Public Works Director at City Hall, 250 Central Avenue, Fillmore CA 93015, or leave a message 24 hours a day at 524-1500 x 231 and he will address them in a future column.

Bert Rapp, Public Works Director