WATSONVILLE — Spurred by several events over the past year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold a meeting Thursday to update the public on a project that aims to lower the flood risk along the Pajaro River levees.
Damage to the federal levee system from the 2016-17 winter storms, which totaled more than $10 million, served as a reminder to the floods of 1995, which lead to one death and more than $95 million in economic losses, including $67 million to agricultural fields. In 1997 and 1998 flooding caused additional damage and displaced hundreds of residents.
“As last winter’s storms showed, improved flood protection along the Pajaro River is critical to the communities and farms that depend upon the levees for protection of their homes and businesses,” Congressman Jimmy Panetta said. “I am working diligently with senior leadership at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, the City of Watsonville, and the community of Pajaro, on this project and have made it a top priority and will continue to push this project forward while protecting the interests of my constituents.”
The U.S. Army Corps’ San Francisco District plans to release a Draft Feasibility Study and environmental documentation on the Federal Flood Risk Reduction Project in late October, with the goal of moving into the initial stages of design and project construction as soon as July 2018. The draft reports include a description of the Corps’ recommended improvements for flood risk reduction along the Pajaro River system.
“While we’ve seen a lot of recent progress, we will continue to advocate to ensure that this project remains a priority with our federal partners,” Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend said. “With continued community and federal support we remain hopeful that we can move this project toward construction.”
Staff from Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, along with City of Watsonville staff, invite Pajaro Valley residents, business owners, farmers, and any other interested parties to attend the community forum prior to the Corps’ release of their draft reports.
“The surrounding community is understandably concerned about the levee and has really come together and worked hard to get the project to this point,” Monterey County Supervisor John Phillips said. “Public participation is such an integral part of successful development of a project that will protect our diverse needs.”
Thursday’s meeting will be the first of several intended to provide an update on the project and a description of what to expect over the next year.
The meeting will take place at the Watsonville Civic Plaza Community Room, 275 Main St., fourth floor, from 6-7:30 p.m. For information, contact Mark Strudley, Flood Control Division Manager for Santa Cruz County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Zone 7, at
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