Year-round flooding concerns in Santa Cruz

The San Lorenzo River lagoon poses some challenges to the City of Santa Cruz and people who live nearby. Over the years, there have been pollution problems, the fish and wildlife have been challenged, but the biggest problems could be floods.

The river flows right next to Daniel Hernandez’s home. “I’m very close to the levee, the very first house, and I think I’m going to be the first one underwater,” he said.

During the winter he was always on guard, just in case the river overflowed.

“It’s something that keeps me worried,” said Hernandez. “I keep an eye from my balcony. It’s not easy.”

No that it’s summer, the rains have passed and the sun is out. You’d think flooding wouldn’t be a problem, but you’d be wrong.

“People start seeing water bubbling up in the yards and their basements,” said Scott Collins, with the City of Santa Cruz.

Even during the summer, some people who live along the river experience flooding because water from the river can’t properly flow into the ocean.

“When we have a change in swell direction in the summer months, we start to see the sand build up and it creates a sand bar across the rive, and the river has nowhere to go,” said Collins.

The water backs up underneath the levee and comes up through the ground.

“There is no rain, the water isn’t going over the levee, so where is this water coming from?” said Collins. “Well, it’s actually groundwater.

To stop this from happening, the city has to make a man made major breach which allows the water to flow into the ocean.

“It’s a major operation to relieve the water pressure for a few days, maybe a week at most,” said Collins.

It is expensive too. It requires bulldozers and a large portion of the beach to be taped off — not a long term solution.

Collins: “So what we have now is permits from four agencies to allow us to build a pipe that would run water out to the ocean.”

The pipe, or culvert as it’s often, called would keep the water elevation near the trestle at five feet, so you’d still have a lagoon forn recreational fish and other wildlife.

“We take it very seriously that we maintain the habitat for our wildlife, but also try to ensure that people aren’t flooded.

Back upstream, Hernandez hasn’t had any flooding this summer, but he still remains cautious. “There is a big risk, even if nothing has happened, but sometimes I think that day might come,” he said.

The City hopes to get approval for the pipe by this fall so that it’s ready for next summer. The cost of that pipe will be $500,000.