Some people say you cannot control flooding on the Napa River because of the tides. Is this true?

Tides do not have any impact on the water level in the City of Napa when the river is flooding. A chart of river levels when there is no flood shows the river rising and falling with the tidal cycle. Charts during a flood show no rise and fall, regardless of the height of the tide. During a flood it’s rainfall and runoff that determines the river level, not the tide. The force of floodwaters is greater than the force of the tide. It is true that high tides can cause flooding in certain areas closer to the Bay. That type of flooding sometimes occurs when there is no rainfall and has no connection to the creek and river flooding we see in most of Napa County.

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1. Are our tax dollars going for flood protection or beautification?
2. Are there places that will not have protection after the project is completed?
3. Did the work that’s been completed make a difference in flood on December 31, 2005?
4. Does the Flood District provide sandbags?
5. How does the Flood Project protect the community from flooding?
6. How is the Flood Project funded?
7. I hear people say that because we had flooding in 2005 that means the money we’ve spent so far has been wasted. Is that true?
8. Why is construction of the Project behind schedule?
9. I hear people say we’ve had three “100-year floods” in the last 20 years. Is that true?
10. I live far from the Napa River and Napa Creek. Will the Project protect me from flooding in my neighborhood?
11. Napa Creek floods more often than the River. Why not fix that problem now instead of waiting until later?
12. Was the New Year's Eve Flood on 12-31-05 a "100 year" flood event?
13. What about flooding problems in American Canyon, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga?
14. What areas are most prone to flooding?
15. Some people say you cannot control flooding on the Napa River because of the tides. Is this true?
16. What is a “100-year flood”? Why do we care?
17. What kind of public access to the River will be available after the project is built?
18. When will the Napa River-Napa Creek Flood Project be completed?
19. Where can I find out about evacuations, shelters, river levels, road closures, power failures and other flood-related information?
20. The Flood Project construction started in 2000. After five years of work, why didn’t the Flood Project prevent flooding on 12-31-05?