Access keys:

Background and Timeline

175x130 image

Over the years, the Pajaro River has had a long and storied history of flooding and flood control projects. Since 1966, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has conducted planning with the City of Watsonville and the Counties of Monterey and Santa Cruz in an effort to provide the communities along the river with adequate flood protection. In the past 40 years, 19 flood protection alternatives have been explored to control waters of the mainstem Pajaro River from the ocean to Murphy Crossing Road and along Salsipuedes and Corralitos Creeks, which drain into the Pajaro in the City of Watsonville.

The 19 alternatives considered over the years fall into six main categories:

  • Ring levees
  • Bypass channels
  • Rebuilding or increase in height of levees in place
  • Floodwalls built on top of existing levees
  • Retention to upper basin reservoirs
  • Setback levees and increase in levee height
  • No project

Timeline

1936: Federal Flood Control Act authorizes flood control
  175x130 image
1937 flood
175x130 image

 

1949:

 

Levee system construction is completed along
the Pajaro River (11.5 miles) and Salsipuedes Creek (3 miles)

 

1955:

 

First major flood event to breach levees
  175x130 image
1955 Flood 		 175x130 image
1955 Sandbagging

1956:
USACE Emergency levee repairs

1958:
April Flood - Pajaro River
USACE Emergency levee repairs

1963:
USACE report identifies design deficiency

 

1966:

 

Federal Flood Control Act authorizes new project

 

1974-1975:

 

Local community declines to support any identified
project alternative

 

1982-1986:

 

Flooding occurs along the Salsipuedes and Corralitos Creeks
USACE Emergency levee repairs along Salsipuedes Creek
Project cost share re-affirmed at 75% : 25%
1989
Magnitude 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake causes significant levee damage
USACE Emergency levee repairs
1992
Formation of Zone 7 - Santa Cruz County Flood Control and Water Conservation District to generate maintenance and partial local matching funds for the USACE levee reconstruction project
1993
USACE Emergency levee repairs - Salsipuedes Creek
1994
USACE Reconnaissance Study finds positive benefit/cost ratio for a Salsipuedes/Corralitos levee project

 

1995:

 

Major flood event breaches Pajaro River levees; flooding occurs at less than the design capacity
  175x130 image
1995 Pajaro flood and flood vicitm center

 

 175x130 image
1996:
Formation of Zone1A- Monterey County Water Resources Agency to generate additional maintenance revenue for the Pajaro River Project

 

1997:

 

Flooding occurs along Corralitos Creek

1998:
February Flood along Pajaro River followed by USACE Emergency levee repairs

 

1999:

 

Pajaro River mainstem is combined with Salsipuedes/Corralitos
Creek project under federal authorization
USACE completes Preliminary GRR for Salsipuedes/Corralitos Creek (70-Year NED Plan)

2000:		 USACE completes General Reevaluation Report (GRR) F3 Report: no-project/baseline conditions

 

2001:

 

Congress member Sam Farr's initiation of Public Stakeholder Meeting process begins

 

2002:

 

Loose local consensus to support Pajaro River Project Alternative 2A (100' setback) and Corralitas/Salsipuedes Creeks Alternative T4 (Variable 100' setback levee and levee rebuild)

 

2003:

 

USACE formulates tentatively-recommended NED plan (2A/T4); and presents to stakeholder

 

2004:

 

Local sponsors- select NED as LPP (2A/T4)
USACE conducts Alternative Formulation Briefing (F4a)
HQ USACE issues formal recommendation to expand formulation and analysis of alternative projects

 

2005-06:


Local sponsors initiate PED for Bench Excavation
Alternative reformulation slows due to lack of funding available for planning
IRWMP Grant ($6 millionj) for GRR, Public Outreach, and Bench Excavation

2007:
Design Agreement executed between USACE and Local Sponsors
Non-Federal contributions ($$) to USACE begins

 

2008:

 

Alternative reformulation planning activities (focus on Ring Levees 9D/T3) increase with secured federal and local funding 

 

2009:

 

Draft General Reevaluation Report (GRR) with reformulated alternatives completed. Local sponsors cannot support the USACE ring levee alternative.

 

2010:

 

Draft GRR revised to include Locally Requested Alternatives

 

2012:

 

Goal GRR Report and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) released for public review