The long-planned project to alleviate flooding in Morgan Hill
continues to be discussed and planned, but as of yet, funding
remains the major hurdle.
The long-planned project to alleviate flooding in Morgan Hill continues to be discussed and planned, but as of yet, funding remains the major hurdle.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District discussed several projects related to the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. One such project: the Upper Llagas Creek flood protection plan.
The protection plan will cost an anticipated $120 million and covers 104 square miles that includes Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill. Completion of the project would reduce flooding by diversion channel, historic creek restoration and channel widening in a 12.5-mile stretch from Buena Vista Avenue in San Martin to Wright Avenue in Morgan Hill.
Yet with the lack of federal funding, the Santa Clara Valley Water District has now taken over the environmental consultant contract.
“The reason we took it over is to make sure (the project) is on track,” said senior project manager Bal Ganjoo.
The district and the city of Morgan Hill executed a cost sharing agreement in 2009 and put aside $9.7 million to complete the design and environmental documentation of the project, said Ganjoo. Local monies will be used since the Corps did not receive adequate funding to process the design portion.
The district re-hired the same consultant that the Corps was using, as they were the most familiar with the project. The district will continue to involve the Corps however, and maintain Corps engineering design standards.
Construction funding, estimated to be about $65 million from the federal share and $40 million from the local and state share, will not be determined until 2014. The design portion will take another two to three years to complete, with construction expecting to start in 2014. With the estimated timeline, the project will be completed in 2016.
Ganjoo hopes that given the current state of the economy, funding will be available in 2014.
“Funding is still up in the air. The assumption is there’s the government and they’ll have the money (by 2014). But it’s one of the challenges we are grappling with,” Ganjoo said.
Construction would allow the protection of 1,397 parcels from 100-year flooding, provide an additional wetland area and implement erosion reduction, according to the board agenda memo.
Upper Llagas Creek protection flood project is one of eight projects under the Corps of Engineers partnership projects. Only two of those projects currently has allocated funds under the President’s budget requests for fiscal year 2012. Upper Llagas Creek does not have funds allocated, with the district asking for $2 million for additional funding for design and environmental documentation.
Board members Brain Schmidt and Linda LeZotte will be sent to Washington D.C. in two weeks to try to get federal funding for these projects by speaking with elected officials.
