Lower Pen. - Great Mall 9-1-11.indd

Neighborhood Work
Lower Penitencia Creek - bank repair project
About the project
The Santa Clara Valley Water District will repair an
eroding creek bank in your neighborhood along
Lower Penitencia Creek at Great Mall Parkway and
S. Abel Street.
Work will start in early September and take
approximately three weeks to complete.* Project
work hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday. Work hours may extend to include some work
on Saturdays in the unlikely event of delays.
A four- to six- person crew will work at the project site
using an excavator, dump trucks and compactors.
Expect typical construction noise during work hours.
A generator, designed to operate more quietly, will
continuously pump water around the project site and
back into the creek farther downstream. A private
security firm contracted by the water district may also
be on site.
Trucks and crews will access the creek at Great Mall
Parkway and exit the work site on S. Abel Street. The
curb-side lane will be closed for truck access on both
streets during this project. Flaggers will be onsite
during the project for safety.
Lavender highlight
indicates project work
area and traffic lane
closures.
Right: Bank erosion
threatens a sound wall
on Lower
Penitencia
Creek.
Left: Bank
erosion as
monitored in
March 2011.
Part of the voter-approved Clean, Safe Creeks and
Natural Flood Protection Plan, this project repairs 83
feet of creek bank to minimize erosion.
Securing the creek bank protects homes, sound walls
and property along the creek. It also minimizes
sediment build-up improving the creek’s capacity to
carry floodwaters, while maintaining a stable creek
ecosystem.
Want to help plan the future
of water resources?
Take Our
Survey!
safecleanwater.org
What causes bank erosion?
When water flows over or against creek banks, its
energy and movement can dislodge and carry away
soil, rocks, trees or vegetation, causing erosion.
Erosion can also damage fragile natural habitats that
can negatively impact fish and other species that use
these natural elements for shelter and food.
continued on back...
* Project start dates and duration
may vary due to site conditions
and equipment availability.
Your Clean, Safe Creeks
vote at work
We speak your language
The voter-approved Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural
Flood Protection parcel tax, passed in November
2000, funds this project. The 15-year plan makes it
possible to protect homes, schools and businesses
from flooding, while improving the health of creek
and bay ecosystems, and creating trails and parks
for recreational enjoyment.
You’re in a watershed
No matter where you are, you’re in a watershed.
A watershed is the area of land that drains a
common waterway. In Santa Clara County, our
creeks catch rain and runoff from storm drains and
carry the water north to San Francisco Bay or south
to Monterey Bay. Along the way, some of the water
is used to fill reservoirs for drinking water, replenish
the underground
aquifer and create
better habitat for
fish and wildlife.
This project is
Coyote
in the Coyote
Watershed
Watershed.
Drains to
Alameda County
Lower
Peninsula
Watersheds
West
Valley
Watersheds
Pollution hotline
To report illegal dumping of hazardous materials
in, or around reservoirs and creeks, please call
1-888-510-5151.
Guadalupe
Watershed
Uvas/Llagas
Watersheds
Contact us
Sixteen major creeks drain
this 322-square-mile area. The
county’s largest watershed extends
from the urbanized valley floor upward to the vast
natural areas of the Diablo range. Coyote Creek, its
main waterway, is the longest creek in the county.
What we do
The Santa Clara Valley Water District manages water
resources and provides stewardship for the county’s
five watersheds, including 10 reservoirs, hundreds of
miles of streams and groundwater basins. The water
district also provides flood protection throughout
Santa Clara County.
For more information, contact
Roy Weese at (408) 265-2607,
ext. 2688, or visit our website at
www.valleywater.org and use our
Access Valley Water customer request
and information system. With three easy
steps, you can use this service to find out
the latest information on the project or to
submit questions, complaints or compliments
directly to a district staff person.
© 2011 Santa Clara Valley Water District •9-1-11 gu [2400]