Downtown Napa Remains Flood-Free After Redone Flood Plan

NAPA (KPIX 5) -- The Napa River was overflowing in places Wednesday, but instead of mass flooding and destruction, there was a success story.

It was a soggy start to the day. The Napa River was running fast and angry along the hillsides but when it hit the flatlands it spread out, turning some people's backyards along Silverado Trail into waterways.

"My neighbor went out earlier and said you've got to go up Silverado Trail to see all the vineyards that are part of the river!" said Napa resident Robert Barr.

Redwood Road in Napa had to be shut down Wednesday night after wet weather likely triggered a landslide roughly 60 feet above the road. The slide happened around 6:00 p.m. Napa County Public Works official said the section of the hillside that gave way was about 80 feet wide.

No one was injured, but a neighbor's shed was destroyed. Piles of mud, rocks and tangled, fallen trees littered the road.

"This just looks like this particular hillside got oversaturated," said Steve Lederer, Director of Napa County Public Works. "We'll have to look at whether there were any human causes as well."

Silverado Trail was blocked at several locations; in one spot because of a downed tree and in other places because of flowing water. By the afternoon, however, the danger had passed and drivers were plowing through water running across Yountville Cross Road - mainly for the fun of it.

"Actually we decided to do it because we wanted to see what it looked like," said resident Iren Jenny.

But in the city of Napa, they take flooding very seriously. The downtown area has been devastated multiple times over the years including a major disaster in 1986. The problem is a strange bend in the river called "The Oxbow" where water seems to change direction as it doubles back on itself.

During floods, the water couldn't make the turn, "... and Third Street would be under four feet of water, five feet of water," said lifelong resident Bob Benning. "I saw it happen about three times."

So in 1998, they decided to stop fighting the river and let it run its natural course. Voters approved Measure A to create a bypass during flood events that would allow water to flow straight through the Oxbow.

Wednesday, that bypass was relieving back pressure on the river and, along with a new set of retaining walls, the downtown stayed high and dry - and residents seemed almost giddy about how well it was working.

"Of course, I wanted to come over to see the floodgates and the Napa flood abatement project and it's awesome, it's working … we've got rapids!" said Napa County resident Kristen Weber.

Many Napa residents believe that by taxing themselves to make the fix, they may have saved the town.

"People said, 'Oh, what a waste of money,'" said resident Paul Falk with a laugh. "They're not saying that today! Guess again!"

In fact, some in the city believe that with the arrival of new hotels and new businesses, the current economy of the downtown is only possible because of the changes they made to the river.

As much as nine inches of rain fell across Napa County and the Napa River was expected to be two feet above flood stage. But by 7 a.m., the levels had peaked and flood warnings were cancelled for the city.

In:
• Flooding
• Napa