By Khalida Sarwari
A project to repair damage to a bank along the San Tomas Aquino Creek is under way at McCoy Avenue in Campbell.
A five-member crew will shore up the bank with rocks using a small loader, excavator and dump trucks. A generator will be used to continuously pump water around the project site and back into the creek to keep the water flowing. The project will ultimately repair 80 feet of creek bank to minimize erosion.
The project began in late June and is expected to be completed on July 13. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week and possibly on Saturdays in the event of delays.
Trucks and crews will access the creek at McCoy Avenue. No road closures or impact on residents are anticipated. Flaggers will be onsite to conduct traffic control when necessary. There will be some construction noise during those hours, but nothing that’s expected to be too disruptive.
The goal of the project is to repair the erosion that has occurred on the banks of the creek, said Marty Grimes, a program administrator at the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Erosion is caused when the energy and movement of water over or against creek banks dislodges and carries away soil, rocks, trees or vegetation.
Grimes said the erosion has created a hole in the bottom of the San Tomas Aquino Creek.
“Part of the project is to fill that with rocks so the creek won’t rush so quickly when it has a lot of water in it,” Grimes said. “Ultimately, erosion can affect the fish habitat and other natural habitat. When there’s erosion, the natural elements of the creek can be degraded.”
Repairs to the bank will protects homes and property along the creek and maintain a stable creek ecosystem. The creek’s capacity to carry floodwaters will also be improved as the buildup of sediment will be minimized.
The repair work is part of a larger countywide stream maintenance project that includes sediment removal in creeks and vegetation removal of non-native species. It is an ongoing project that was formalized in 2002.
The bank repair project is also part of the voter-approved Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection Plan, a 15-year plan that aims to protect homes, schools and businesses from flooding. The project focuses on improving the health of creek and bay ecosystems and creating trails and parks for recreational enjoyment. A parcel tax to fund the project was passed in November 2000.
For more information or to find out the latest information on the bank repair project, contact Chad Grande at 408.265.2607, ext. 2915, or visit www.valleywater.org.
