Palm Desert gets $8 million grant for flood basin upgrades along Interstate 10 post-Hilary

Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·3 min read
A view from Lydia Duran's window during the immediate aftermath of Tropical Storm Hilary shows flooding in the Spanish Walk neighborhood of Palm Desert.
A view from Lydia Duran's window during the immediate aftermath of Tropical Storm Hilary shows flooding in the Spanish Walk neighborhood of Palm Desert.

The city of Palm Desert won an $8 million grant last week for ongoing efforts to bolster flood retention basins along Interstate 10, several months after Tropical Storm Hilary damaged some homes in the area.

The grant from the Southern California Association of Governments will also strengthen infrastructure in an area planned for lots of new homes, with 3,386 housing units currently approved and 1,663 under review.

Palm Desert Assistant City Manager Chris Escobedo told The Desert Sun the grant will allow the city to put together a capital improvement project for the growing area south of Interstate 10 and north of Frank Sinatra Drive.

Westbound Interstate 10 traffic is snarled near the Monterey exit in Palm Desert Aug. 21, 2023 because of rain and mud that flowed over the interstate in both directions a day earlier from Tropical Storm Hilary.
Westbound Interstate 10 traffic is snarled near the Monterey exit in Palm Desert Aug. 21, 2023 because of rain and mud that flowed over the interstate in both directions a day earlier from Tropical Storm Hilary.

“We're going to be looking at adding retaining walls to help the conveyance of water along that channel so it properly flows down into the channel to the southeast,” Escobedo said. “Additionally, we're going to be looking at detention ponds and basins throughout that area.”

“Essentially, (what) we want to make sure is that the water flowing from the west continues to flow all the way east, along that corridor and through the city, because it ultimately ties into the regional flood control system,” he added.

The grant funding comes about a month after the Palm Desert City Council approved a $4.63 million contract to upgrade and expand a major retention basin just south of the interstate. Escobedo said the SCAG grant will be for upgrades in addition to the city-approved expansion project.

More: Hilary's aftermath: Palm Desert OKs $4.6M contract to expand flood retention basin along I-10

More: A month after Hilary, people in hard-hit Palm Desert neighborhood still looking for help

The new investments arrive several months after Tropical Storm Hilary struck the Coachella Valley in August, causing major flooding in Cathedral City and elsewhere. Much of Palm Desert was relatively unscathed from the historic storm, but Hilary caused major damage to the city’s Spanish Walk neighborhood near the interstate, displacing a handful of residents and filling some homes with mud and floodwater.

Mud and water seeped into Lydia Duran's garage in the Spanish Walk neighborhood of Palm Desert during Tropical Storm Hilary in August. Seen here is the garage after a crew drained some water from it.
Mud and water seeped into Lydia Duran's garage in the Spanish Walk neighborhood of Palm Desert during Tropical Storm Hilary in August. Seen here is the garage after a crew drained some water from it.

The mud and flooding that came into parts of Spanish Walk were caused by overflowing from a mid-valley diversion channel that starts just west of Palm Desert and extends through the city, running alongside the Union Pacific railroad and Interstate 10.

Escobedo said the city has long been looking at ways to bolster its flood control infrastructure amid the growth planned for the area, and Tropical Storm Hilary gave city officials even more reason to examine the area. Next to Spanish Walk, a 150-unit affordable housing development has gained city approval, and work is in progress.

President Joe Biden also approved an emergency declaration related to Tropical Storm Hilary in November, so city officials are now working to maximize Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance and reimbursements. Escobedo said the city is still working with county, state and federal officials to get all of their damage estimates submitted, adding it’s too soon to give a dollar amount.

The grant from SCAG will be appropriated by the city council for specific projects during a meeting in February, according to Escobedo.

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Desert gets $8 million for flood prevention around Interstate 10