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Major flood project completed on Lower Guadalupe River in San Jose

Posted by: Maven on March 14, 2009 at 11:21 am

From the San Jose Mercury News:

San Jose’s main river, which has flooded 15 times since World War II, has become significantly safer following the completion of a flood-control project that also allows people to hike or ride bicycles directly from downtown San Jose to the edge of San Francisco Bay.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District gave final approval this week on a $32 million project that upgraded flood protection on the lower Guadalupe River.

The work, begun in 2003, raised levees and flood walls up to three feet along 6.5 miles of the river from Interstate 880 to Alviso, where it empties into the bay. The district also spent an additional $16 million to raise the Highway 237 bridge over the river by six feet, allowing more water to flow under in heavy winter storms.

“We were trying to find a balance between the river in its natural state and the need for more capacity for flood conveyance,” said Katherine Oven, deputy operating officer for the water district. “Forty years ago, for these kinds of projects, you just lined the banks with concrete.”

Instead, crews left the main channel of the river intact for fish, with a swath of trees and other vegetation at least 20 feet wide on each side. Beyond the vegetation, they created two overflow channels so that in heavy storms, sediment can drop out there. Once a year, water district crews will dredge and remove vegetation in the overflow channels, maintaining river capacity.

The goal is to prevent the errors of the past.

Read more from the San Jose Mercury News by clicking here.

March 14, 2009 · Filed Under Bay Area

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