Funding to tame flooding from Pajaro River now in place Share Updated: 7:11 PM PDT May 24, 2021 Share Updated: 7:11 PM PDT May 24, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript TO SHORE UP RESILIENCE AHEAD OF HURRICANE SEASON AND WESTERN WILDFIRES. IN WATSONVILLE... BIG DEVELOPMENTS FOR FLOOD PREVENTION EFFTSOR ALONG THE PAJARO RIVER. TODAY LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES SIGNED AN AGREEMENT.... TO MANAGE THE RIVER LEVEE FROM FLOODING HOMES AND FARMS LIKE YOU SEE HERE IN 2017. CT AION NEWS EIGHT REPORTER PHIL GOMEZ, JOI NS US LIVE FROM WATSONVILLE WITH MORE ON THE PLAN...PHIL??? OVER-ALL IT'S A FOUR- HUNDRED MILLION PROJECT DESIGNED TO TAME T HE CONSTANT THREAT OF FLOODING BROUGHT ON BY HEAVY RAIN-FALL THE RAINS OF 19-95 WERE SO DEVASTATING TH TAT HE PAJARO LEVEES JUST COULDN'T HOLD BACK. PRIME FARMLAND AND HOMES WERE UNDERWATER. FLOODING HAS BEEN AN ISSUE SINCE IT WAS BUILT IN -4199 THE MOST RECENT FLOODING WAS NOT LONG AGO, IN 20-17-- AND REMAINS A RISK TODAY LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS PUT N PE TO PAPER ON A SEVEN POINT ONE MILLION DOLLAR DESIGN PLAN THWI CONGRESSMAN PANETTA SECURING FUNDING "This is what it means to have a partnership exerting pressure on everybody to go forwar d" "Today marks the beginning of a new page and hope for the communit" y THE DESIGN PHASE WILL TAKE ABOUT THREE OR 4 YEARS TO COMPLETE WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION WORK COULD BEN GIIN THE SPRING OF 20-24 "I think what we've envisioned not necessarily increasing levee height but setting back levees for existing levees creating new flood protection where it already exists" IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE HERE THAT THE PAJARO RIVER IS runs thru SANTA CRUZ, MONTEREY AND SAN BENITO COUNTI. ES IN THE 19-40S THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE STREAM FLOW INSTRUMENTATION THAT THERE IS OW N AND BACK THEN THE LEVEES WERE NOT BUILT TTHO E STANDARDS THAT ARE now required "It's a big project! It's got multiple pieces! It's not going to be built in one constructionea sn.so It's gong to take several construction seasons" FOR LONG-TIME RESIDENT, AN GDYONLEZAZ HE BELIEVES LOCAL LEADERS ARE RIGHT ON TRACK "They're not disturbing the environmen Wt.E got a lot of wildlife. A lot of ducks all kinds of stuff here. I believe they're doing it right" WHEN CONSTRUCTION DOES BEGIN--IT COUL