Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project

About the project

The Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project will improve flood protection for Mountain View and Los Altos, create recreational opportunities and enhance the environment.

Funded by the Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program, this project will provide natural flood protection for approximately 2,200 properties, prevent flooding of Middlefield Road and Central Expressway, and prevent potential damages in excess of $48 million (1999 value).

Permanente Creek ood protection project The Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project extends 10.6 miles through the cities of Mountain View and Los Altos. Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project

San Francisco Bay LEEN

YourProject flood elements protection project After years of planning and design, the Permanente A Floodwalls Creek Flood Protection Project is nearing construction. Once completed, McKelvey Park the detention project will provide natural flood

protectionC Channel for at wideningleast 1,664 properties and prevent Palo N Alto potential damages in excess of $48 million (1999 value). Shoreline Park Rancho San Antonio Park detention In developing the project designs, the Santa Clara

A Valley Water District worked with the County of Santa Clara, the cities of Mountain View, Los Altos

101 k and Cupertino, along with their residents, through

e r community and project task force meetings. Public

n comments and feedback helped the project team Middle eld Rd e

e t develop sustainable designs that are economically

S viable, technically feasible, environmentally compatible Central Expy and publicly acceptable.

Mountain El Camino RealCalifornia St The project stretches along 10.6 miles of Permanente View Creek, from San Francisco Bay’s southwest shoreline through Mountain View to Foothill Expressway in Los Altos City Hall Los Altos. It includes four design features, which are Castro St slated to begin construction in 2016. These include Shoreline Blvd 237

San Antonio Rd floodwalls, channel widening and flood detention Los Altos Calderon Ave Mountain View basins at Rancho San Antonio County Park and City Hall C McKelvey Park.

k e e El Monte Ave r

e A history of flooding l a Cuesta Dr H Each winter, thousands of households, schools and

El Camino Hospital businesses in Mountain View and Los Altos are susceptible to flooding from Permanente Creek during Levin Ave

a major storm. v

Permanente Sunnyvale k

e iversion Permanente Creek has a history of flooding, having e Channel

r experienced major flooding in 1862, 1911, 1940,

Grant Rd e 1950, 1952, 1955, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1983,

n e 1995 and 1998. n a 85 Los Altos m r Hills e Foothill Expy Flooding can result in millions P LEEN of dollars in damage to homes, Project elements businesses and schools. In addition,

280 disruption to businesses and Flood-prone area transportation networks can result in significant loss of productivity CupertinoA Floodwalls and revenue. McKelvey Park detention basin

C Channel widening

Rancho San Antonio County Park detention basin Looking ahead The project team is working to finalize design on certain project elements and will be reaching out to communities neighboring those projects in the coming months. In addition, the water district will hold pre-construction meetings with the neighboring community of each project element before work begins.

Project Schedule

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

planning

design acquire permits construction McKelvey Park detention basin 1/17 - 3/19

Floodwalls and channel widening 4/17 - 12/18 Periodic community Rancho San Antonio County Park detention basin 12/16 - 12/18 meetings and project updates

Your tax dollars at work The project is funded by the countywide Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program parcel tax passed by voters in November 2012. The 15-year plan makes it possible to protect homes, schools and businesses from flooding, while improving the health of creek and bay ecosystems and creating trails and parks for recreational enjoyment.

The Safe, Clean Water Program provides $49 million to design and construct the project, which will:

• Provide natural flood protection for High water in 1983 along Permanente Creek near Blach School. approximately 2,200 properties (which exceeds the project requirement of protecting 1,664 properties)

• Prevent flooding of Middlefield Road and Central Expressway

• Prevent potential damages in excess of $48 million (1999 value)

• Enhance 8 acres of wildlife habitat in Rancho San Antonio County Park

Upper Permanente creeks. MoreAbout about the usSafe, Clean Water ProgramYou’re in a watershed Santa Clara County The Santa Clara Valley Water District manages No matter where an integrated water resources system that includes you are, you’re Drains to Lower Alameda County the supply of clean, safe water, flood protection in a watershed. Peninsula Watersheds

West and stewardship of streams on behalf of Santa A watershed is the Valley Watersheds

Clara County’s 1.9 million residents. The district area of land that Guadalupe Coyote Watershed Watershed effectively manages 10 dams and surface water drains to a common reservoirs, three water treatment plants, a state- waterway. In Santa Clara Uvas/Llagas of-the-art water quality laboratory, nearly 400 County, our creeks catch rain Watersheds acres of groundwater recharge ponds and more and runoff from storm drains and than 275 miles of streams. We provide wholesale carry the water north to San Francisco water and groundwater management services to Bay or south to Monterey Bay. Along the local municipalities and private water providers way, some of the water is used to fill reservoirs for who deliver drinking water directly to homes and drinking water, replenish the underground aquifer businesses in Santa Clara County. and create better habitat for fish and wildlife.

This project is in the West Valley Watershed, an 85-square-mile area of multiple small-creek watersheds. Characterized by the contrast between its channelized creeks on the valley floor and its more natural streams in the hillsides, this watershed is the county’s smallest.

On the cover: 1. Upper Permanente Creek 1 2. Permanente diversion flooding, March 1983 3. Pedestrian bridge near the South Bay Salt Ponds 2 3 4 4. Permanente Creek Permanente Creek downstream of U.S. Flood Protection Project Highway 101 Permanente Creek near the South Bay Salt Ponds. About the project Inside: • Your flood protection project The Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project offers a • A history of flooding tremendous opportunity for a multi-purpose project to improve • Your tax dollars at work flood protection, create recreational opportunities and • By the numbers enhance the environment. • More about us • Looking ahead Funded by the Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood • Your in a watershed Protection Program, this $38 million project promises to provide natural flood protection for at least 1,664 properties by 2016, prevent flooding of Middlefield Road and Central Expressway, and prevent potential damages in excess of $48 million (1999 value).

CONTACT US For more information: • Contact Lotina Nishijima, project manager, at (408) 630-2795, [email protected] • Contact Kristen Yasukawa, public information representative, at (408) 630-2876, [email protected] • Visit valleywater.org/services/PermanenteCreek.aspx Get project updates • Use our Access Valley Water customer request and information system. With three easy steps, get the latest information on the project or submit questions, complaints or compliments directly to a water district staff person.

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