Localized flooding in Bolsa Knolls neighborhood

People living in one Salinas neighborhood are on edge as the rain keeps coming down. That’s because the Bolsa Knolls area has a history of flooding. Homeowners say they see this every 2-3 years, and fortunately, they haven’t seen it rise as high as it did during the last major El Nio, nearly 20 years ago.

Monterey County Public Works crews responded to more than two dozen calls on Tuesday. Several were in the Bolsa Knolls area, where the old storm drain system gets overwhelmed during heavy rains.

“Instead of the water going down the drain, it actually bubbles up and floods the roadway and runs down to the creek,” said Shawn Atkins, operations manager for the Resource Management Agency, Department of Public Works.

That water runs alongside Julie Posey’s home. She says rising waters has become routine.

“It happens probably every 2-3 years,” Posey said. “Since the four year drought, we haven’t had any issue with it but now since all this rain, I’m watching it every single time.”

Posey says back in 1998, the floodwater came within inches of her garage door. Despite the risks, she has no plans of leaving, though she says she would like to see upgrades made to the existing system. Unfortunately, that comes with a big price tag.

“The only thing we could do would be to undertake a multi-million dollar project and upsize the storm drain system,” Atkins said.

The county says it has had discussions about making changes and funding has been an issue.

ORIGINAL POST:

The recent rain is putting storm drains to the test across Monterey County. Monterey County Public Works closed multiple roads Tuesday as flooding persisted.

The agency was on scene Tuesday in Salinas’ Bolsa Knolls neighborhood. Residents say it’s not unusual for their neighborhood to flood, but that it takes a tool on everyone.

NewsChannel 5’s Mariana Hicks will have more on this story at 5 and 6 p.m.