HOLLISTER – County officials blocked a proposal by the Pajaro
River Watershed Flood Protection Authority that could have forced
local residents to pay for the levee system in Santa Cruz
County.
HOLLISTER – County officials blocked a proposal by the Pajaro River Watershed Flood Protection Authority that could have forced local residents to pay for the levee system in Santa Cruz County.
San Benito and Santa Clara County officials stymied an attempt by Monterey and Santa Cruz counties to suggest the state should consider charging San Benito and a portion of Santa Clara County – including Morgan Hill and San Martin property owners – to help maintain the levees along the lower Pajaro River.
With a 4-4 vote, officials from San Benito and Santa Clara counties who sit on the flood protection authority’s board deadlocked last week with Monterey and Santa Cruz officials over a proposal to amend a letter to the state’s Department of Water Resources. Officials believed the letter, if changed, could make it appear San Benito and Santa Clara Counties were partially responsible for the 1998 floods that overflowed the levees and washed out portions of Pajaro, Watsonville and the Moss Landing area.
During Friday’s meeting of the flood protection authority, officials from San Benito and Santa Clara counties objected to the proposed change in the letter to the DWR because it opened the door for the two counties to be taxed by the state to pay for the care and maintenance of the levees in Santa Cruz County.
Local officials said the assumption by Santa Cruz and Monterey counties that development in San Benito and southern Santa Clara counties from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, contributed to an increase in the water flow in the Pajaro River during 1998 was incorrect
“An independent consultant, hired by the flood protection authority, examined the water flow and his report said the upstream counties (San Benito and Santa Clara) had no significant impact on water flow,” San Benito County Supervisor Richard Scagliotti said earlier.
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Tony Campos said despite the way that it may appear to some people, Santa Cruz County was not trying to force San Benito or Santa Clara counties to pay for the maintenance of the levees.
But Campos said a tax on San Benito and Santa Clara counties could help them raise money to pay for their flood prevention projects.
The levees have become an issue recently as Santa Cruz County has become strapped for funds during continuing state budget problems. Santa Cruz can not afford to maintain the levees and officials are proposing to have the state take over levee maintenance.
The Pajaro River levee was built in 1949 by the Army Corps of Engineers following a devastating flood in 1947, intending to protect communities along the lower Pajaro River from winter flooding.
The levees were supposed to survive a 100-year flood – the largest flooding an area experiences every 100 years.
However, within six years of being built, the Pajaro River flooded,causing millions of dollars worth of damage.
