The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection Plan is on track for the 8th year of the 15-year program. The plan’s Independent Monitoring Committee (IMC), which scrutinizes the progress of projects, praised the water district for staying on schedule in its annual report released today.
“This report marks the halfway point. After 8 years of work, primarily comprised of planning, preparation and carefully putting aside money, the water district is about to embark on eight years of construction that will leave the entire community safer--safer from the ravages of floods, and safer from contaminants that pollute our waterways. Overall, we are satisfied with the progress the water district has made on the plan’s multiple projects and urge them to take whatever steps possible to expedite implementation, especially during this current economic environment when construction land acquisitions costs are lower,” said David Ginsborg, chair of the IMC. “Finally, we would like to acknowledge the district’s responsiveness to our concerns and suggestions as staff works to eliminate the gap between projected revenue and expenses.”
The November 2000 ballot measure created a “pay as you go” countywide special parcel tax to fund the Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection Plan. The four major outcomes of this program are:
- Homes, schools, businesses and transportation networks are protected from flooding
- There is clean, safe water in our creeks and bays
- Healthy creek and bay ecosystems are protected, enhanced or restored
- There are additional open spaces, trails and parks along creeks and in the watersheds
The 2009 report provides a detailed status update, including major accomplishments, for each of the many projects. The main concern raised by the annual report is the fiscal challenge the water district will face in accomplishing the goals of Outcome 1.1 (flood protection projects).
The annual report shows that although all flood protection projects are on schedule, the water district is facing a number of challenges, including: shortfalls in funding by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, State Flood Control Subventions Program and Congressional appropriations, as well as dramatic fluctuations in the real estate market.
There are nine flood protection projects that fall under Outcome 1.1, and seven include full construction of flood protection improvements. With unprecedented cost increases in the construction industry over the past five years, it will be a challenge to fund each project fully based on estimated costs and inflation rates from the late 1990s. To address the potential budget shortfall, water district staff has developed multiple strategies to keep the projects on track and maximize the number of parcels to be protected from major flood events throughout the valley.
In response to the report, Water District Board Chair Richard Santos said: “Each year we welcome the IMC Report to ensure that the water district is being held accountable for delivering the projects and services approved by the voters. Over the past eight years, the IMC has provided us with invaluable feedback, helping us improve our programs as we move toward accomplishing all of our goals.”
All four outcomes were promised to be completed over the course of a 15-year period. In 2008-09 the parcel tax generated $31.7 million, with a cumulative total of $226.2 million since the water district started collecting funds in Fiscal Year 2001-2002. At the plan’s sunset in 2016, there will be no continuing debt payments.
More detail on these projects can be found in the IMC’s annual report and David Ginsborg can be contacted via e-mail at imc@valleywater.org.