At a snail’s pace the Upper Llagas Creek Flood Protection Project crawls through the bureaucratic process on its way to starting construction in 2013 to widen the creek and reduce the potential for flooding in Morgan Hill. Just a year ago, the timeline was: Break ground in 2010, complete the widening by 2013.
At a snail’s pace the Upper Llagas Creek Flood Protection Project crawls through the bureaucratic process on its way to starting construction in 2013 to widen the creek and reduce the potential for flooding in Morgan Hill. Just a year ago, the timeline was: Break ground in 2010, complete the widening by 2013.
But it’s the same song and dance this year as the lack of federal funds has slowed the project. The design phase, however, while in its earliest stages, has begun on the flood protection project. The creek widening was approved by Congress in the 1950s.
At today’s board meeting, the water district will likely approve the relocation of two families living on a strip of land near the creek that is just one of about 300 parcels of land – a few are residential properties but most are easements – that must be acquired before any shovels hit the ground. The task is left up to the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
The water district has been acquiring land for many years, said assistant operating officer for flood protection Katherine Oven, but about 125 parcels remain to be acquired. The cost is left up to the district initially, but it will apply for reimbursement from the state. The money that is returned is used to purchase more land.
The relocation of two families who live on the Morgan Hill Storage property at 16364 Monterey St. will cost about $100,000 factoring in moving costs and paying for their rent for 42 months, according to Oven. The district must follow a long list of guidelines to relocate residents whose homes may impede the project’s progress. Though in the last five years only a handful of residents have had to relocate.
The flood protection project will widen and deepen more than a 12-mile stretch of the creek, from Buena Vista Avenue in San Martin to Main Avenue in Morgan Hill. The creek, which runs just west of Monterey Road through downtown, is prone to flooding during heavy storms. Almost 7 inches of rain dumped on Morgan Hill Oct. 13, 2009 and caused the downtown area, from Main Avenue to Watsonville Road, to flood. Twelve major floods have been recorded in Morgan Hill since 1955.
The land acquisition is only a small step in the process that will ultimately be completed by the U.S. Army of Corps Engineers and will cost $120 million. Since approval earlier this year, the city of Morgan Hill added $8 million of its own and the water district has an additional $2 million allocated to expedite the design process.
Representatives from Morgan Hill, the water district and Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-11) met with the Corps in February. A McNerney spokeswoman said he made it very clear that the project needs to move quicker.
“He brought the Army Corps to the table to have that conversation and hear from the local representatives. He recognizes how important the issue is to the area and its a subject of ongoing conversation,” said Sarah Hersh, McNerney’s spokeswoman.
In the last two years, McNerney along with support from 27th Assemblymember Bill Monning has secured $500,000 for the project and he recently submitted a federal funding request for another $350,000, which is going through the Legislative process now. Monning said he is closely monitoring the project.
The local directors say they are also keeping tabs on its progress.
“I’m trying as much as possible to do our part,” said Director Rosemary Kamei, who represents Morgan Hill.
Once complete, the project will provide flood protection for 1,100 homes, 500 business and more than 1,300 acres of agricultural land in southern Santa Clara County, replacing bridges that cross the creek and rerouting channels. According to the district, the project will also preserve the creek’s natural habitat and minimize impacts on migratory fish.
As the needed funding remains in the doldrums, locals are concerned with the creek’s upkeep and its potential for serious dangers.
Tom and Carol Ciccone have lived in their home since 1988, a property that abuts the creek near Watsonville Road and a few years ago they watched their neighbor’s homes across Llagas Creek burn from a brush fire.
The Ciccones say the vegetation along Llagas is completely over-grown and a huge fire threat, especially to the Woodland Estates mobile home park where the brush is the thickest and since most residents living there are older, caring for the growth is left to the city’s care.
“Sooner or later a fire or a flood is going to destroy that area,” Tom Ciccone said. The Ciccones were clear about their love for the beauty of the creek and the wildlife but they want it back to the way it was 10 years ago. After a meeting with city’s public works department, they said they understood the need and are assessing what to do along the creek. It could be that the clean-up is within the water district’s jurisdiction.
“My wife and I would sleep a lot better at night if they would clear this fire hazard,” Tom Ciccone said. They don’t reside in a flood plain, but they’ve watched the creek rise after a storm “10 or 12 feet without moving downstream,” he said. Flooding, fires and even West Nile Virus is a threat for people living near the creek. The pools of water that are stagnant because the creek is choked, is a breeding ground for mosquitos too, Ciccone said.
South County’s at-large Director Cy Mann said he is going to do all he can to move the Llagas project forward and address residents’ concerns.
Later this week, Mann is meeting with the Ciccones and he’s bringing water district engineers along with him to see firsthand the issues they’re facing.
At a lobbying trip to Washington D.C. earlier this year, Mann told the U.S. Army deputy assistant secretary for civil works: “Here’s the stats, here’s the schematics, their homes are being flooded and damaged. What do you want me to go back and tell my constituents? Everybody’s pushing the buck on someone else.” Mann said it’s time to pay more attention to the Llagas project.
“President Obama was born and became president in that amount of time and we can’t get this done? We can’t protect people’s homes?” Mann said. He said the district is likewise also frustrated and because the federal government is moving so slowly, it is self-funding some portions and will wait for reimbursements – whenever they come in.
“If it’s something we have the right to do, we will make it happen. And if it hasn’t happened, then we’ll find out why not,” Mann said. “Whatever your issues are throw them on the table.”
