Beall: Preparing our creeks for an El Niño winter

As Santa Clara County enters the rainy season, Valley Water is preparing for an El Niño that may bring heavy, prolonged rainfall, increasing the risk of flooding along streets, low-lying areas and local waterways.

No seasonal outlook can predict exactly when, where or how intensely storms will arrive. But effective flood preparedness begins well before the first major rainfall.

Valley Water’s Stream Maintenance Program is an important part of that work. Creeks carry stormwater from the hills through neighborhoods, parks, business districts and open spaces before reaching San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay. During heavy rain, they must safely convey fast-moving flows away from nearby homes, businesses and infrastructure.

Santa Clara County has more than 800 miles of creeks, and contrary to popular belief, Valley Water does not own them all. In fact, we only manage about 350 miles of them. Each year, Valley Water performs maintenance from June through October along the waterways, property and flood protection infrastructure we own or manage in the county’s urbanized valley areas. Private property owners and local public agencies are responsible for maintaining the remaining waterways.

Creeks naturally change over time, especially after winter storms. Sediment and debris can move downstream, banks can erode and vegetation can grow in ways that restrict water flow. If left unaddressed, these conditions can increase flood and wildfire risks and affect the health of local waterways.

Through its stream maintenance program, Valley Water inspects the creeks it maintains and conducts work to address these changing conditions. Our work includes several activities that help reduce flood risk while protecting and improving the environment:

• Bank protection: Repairing and stabilizing eroded creek banks helps protect nearby property, infrastructure and flood protection improvements.
• Sediment removal: Removing sediment and debris helps maintain water flow and reduce the risk of flooding during heavy storms.
• Vegetation management: Crews manage in-stream and creekside vegetation to maintain water flow, provide access, meet fire-safety requirements and control invasive species.
• Riparian planting: Planting native vegetation along creeks supports habitat for fish and wildlife while helping offset maintenance impacts.

As the representative for District 4, I’m pleased that this season’s work included several projects in and near my district along Ross Creek, San Tomas Aquino Creek, Alamitos Creek, Alamitos Diversion Channel and Los Gatos Creek. The work included everything mentioned above.

At locations near Meridian, Jarvis and Cherry avenues on Ross Creek, crews used excavators and compact track loaders to remove sediment buildup within the constructed channel. Similar work was conducted on San Tomas Aquino Creek downstream of Pollard Avenue. Removing this material helps restore the channels’ ability to carry stormwater the way the creek is supposed to, allowing water to move more freely during heavy rain.

Managing vegetation along Alamitos Creek and the Alamitos Diversion Channel upstream of Mazzone Drive helps keep water flowing during storms. Crews removed vegetation, pruned lower tree limbs and removed smaller trees and shrubs from the channel. They also removed invasive plants to support a healthier creek environment.

Valley Water completed bank repairs along Ross Creek downstream of Sandy Lane and downstream of Camino Del Cerro, just outside the District 4 boundary. Repairing erosion and restoring the creek bank to its intended shape helps protect flood protection infrastructure, reduce the potential for future erosion and sediment buildup and better prepare the area for winter storms.

Preparing for winter is not a one-time effort. It is a continuous cycle of inspection, maintenance, storm response and planning. Whether or not this El Niño brings significant rain to our area, Valley Water’s work helps ensure our creeks are ready to do what they are designed to do: move water safely through our communities.

The stream maintenance program is supported in part by the voter-approved Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program. Thank you for your continued investment in community safety.

For more information, contact Jim Beall at [email protected].

Jim Beall represents District 4 on the Valley Water board of directors.