The agency responsible for the rebuild of the Pajaro River Levee has completed an environmental assessment for Reach 6 of the project, and is seeking public input before finalizing it.
Reach 6 runs from the Corralitos Bridge to Green Valley Road.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District called the report a “significant milestone” in the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project, which remains on schedule to start construction later this year.
That projected is intended to give 100-year flood protection to the land and people around the Pajaro River Levee.
The April report addresses design refinements such as constructing new setback levees along Corralitos Creek from Green Valley Road to E. Lake Avenue/Highway 152, which were not identified in original designs.
“We are excited that this effort gets us one step closer to construction of this much-needed project,” said Army Corps Project Manager Tuta Salaam. “These design refinements include working within the setback levees to design floodplain features that enhance local environmental conditions, while also saving the project money.”
The supplemental evaluation outlines the anticipated environmental effects of the design refinements and identifies measures to avoid or reduce any adverse environmental effects to a less-than-significant level.
The design refinements also include:
• incorporation of floodplain borrow features within the levee setbacks
• Floodwalls at the upstream and downstream ends of Reach 6
• Identification of staging areas and haul routes
• Confirmation of vegetation impacts.
“One of the objectives from our perspective is to align traditional levee design and engineering with the natural environment,” said Mark Strudley, Executive Director of the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency, the project’s non-federal sponsor. “Some of the resulting benefits include improvements to salmonid habitat and water quality, and the potential to enhance groundwater recharge. The resulting project will be more resilient and sustainable over the long term.”
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The report will be available for public comments until May 17 at bit.ly/3W3mQKN
A pre-construction community meeting will be held in partnership with the PRFMA in Watsonville in July.
Details will be available at the above link and on www.prfma.org.
Comments and questions about the Reach 6 EA may be sent to Pa**********@us***.mil
Dear City of Watsonville Once again you are Not able to provide a permanent place for anyone who is Unhoused in your City or jurisdiction and the Pajaro River and Watsonville homeless Union will file with the 9 th circuit A new declaration. You have to provide housing or shelter for everyone Experiencing Homelessness in your City before you can evicted. I will protest for these individuals and will open up once again another warm center causing more media and protection and maybe a little compensation. I mean you all got raises and for what your not doing anything
Well it’s going to be interesting when the Supreme Court makes their ruling to overturn the 9th circuit. you guys have to realize that the city has limited resources. It’s only a matter of time before the river washes away everything again