San Jose leaders zero in on flood risks amid strong El Niño

As a strong El Niño season heightens flood risks throughout California, some in San Jose are raising the alarm that shaky coordination between South Bay government agencies could hamstring emergency preparation efforts.

During a Tuesday joint meeting between the Valley Water board of directors and San Jose City Council, a chorus of officials and residents warned that fuzzy jurisdictional boundaries often make it unclear who is responsible for dealing with floods risks when they arise along San Jose’s 140 miles of waterways.

The tangled lines of authority have generated frustration from residents who fear such confusion will lead to delays in flood mitigation work — such as clearing debris like garbage or fallen trees — that could prove catastrophic should El Niño trigger heavy rains this winter, as weather forecasting suggests is likely.

“I think it’s important that we keep in mind that when our residents, our shared constituents look into the waterways and see a fallen tree or a blockage … they shouldn’t have to think about the jurisdictional boundaries between our agencies,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said during the meeting. “They just see a problem, and they want a solution, and they expect us to deliver it.”

The region is bracing for strong winter storms as a powerful El Niño system — a phenomenon in which warm water gathers in the Pacific Ocean — continues to gather strength. El Niño destabilizes weather patterns across the globe, and often, though not always, leads to heavy winter rainfalls in California.

“Our agencies both have a responsibility to maintain our own properties, just as a good neighbor has a responsibility to manage gutters and rain sprouts at their homes to avoid overflow onto their neighbors’ yards,” Valley Water Board Chair Tony Estremera said during the meeting. “We can all do our part to maintain healthy waterways and strengthen community resilience during the coming El Niño winter and in the years ahead.”

Complicating flood preparations in San Jose, the city’s waterways and surrounding land is divided up along a patchwork of ownership and jurisdictional boundaries, with some owned by the city government, some by Valley Water and some by private owners.

Seeking to draw attention to the challenge, a group of residents who live along Coyote Creek, an area that saw extensive flooding in 2017, have circulated a petition warning of “major wood blockages” that have built up in the creek between William Street and Interstate 280. The residents are calling on local government officials to move quicker to address such risks.

“This complexity in ownership and responsibility leads to disagreements regarding responsibility and causes delays to implementing critical creek maintenance / flood protection work,” the petition letter, which has gathered 241 signatures, said.

Many residents have also complained that when they have tried to address flood risks, they’ve had to navigate a labyrinth of bureaucratic barriers and permitting requirements. Valley Water officials said they provide permitting consultations through a hotline.

Over the course of the meeting, officials laid out a variety steps that have been taken to prepare for the flood risks posed by El Niño. For example, Valley Water is boosting public outreach to property owners, informing them of their responsibilities as well as available public support, such as the five sites in Santa Clara County that will offer free sandbags beginning in November.

The 2017 Coyote Creek flood occurred after heavy rainfall caused the Anderson Dam in South San Jose to overflow. Since then, Valley Water has been working on an earthquake retrofit project at the dam to help release more water from the area during storms or emergencies. The dam has been drained down to 3% capacity.

The agency is also working to construct stronger flood prevention infrastructure along Coyote Creek, including the introduction of flood walls along much of the waterway.

During the meeting, San Jose councilmembers supported a proposal from Mahan tasking city and water agency staff with gathering more information about what portions of waterways pose the highest flood risks, so that residents can better prepare.

Valley Water officials said while the agency directly monitors the waterways that lie within its own control, it relies on residents to flag blockages or other problems when they appear elsewhere on the water system.

“At this point, we are in the ‘see something, say something,’” Christopher Hakes, who oversees watershed management for Valley Water, said during the meeting. “If you think there’s a problem please let us know.”

Contact Keith Menconi at [email protected] or @KeithMenconi on X.