Board of Supervisors take step to improve Santa Clara River Levee System  

erectile arial, see sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;”>Agency redirects final work plans in presentation to County Supervisors

viagra arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;”>The Ventura County Public Works Agency’s Watershed Protection District (VCPWA WPD) Final Environmental Impact Report on the Agency’s plans to improve the existing Santa Clara River levee system downstream of the Union Pacific Railroad (SCR-3) was approved by the County Board of Supervisors at a public hearing on Tuesday, July 26. The plans are aimed at enabling the levee system to withstand a one percent annual chance flood event, commonly referred to as a 100-year flood.

The project is located in unincorporated Ventura County with components also located within the City of Oxnard. The proposed levee alignment generally proceeds along the southern bank of the Santa Clara River, between the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge and Bailard Landfill. Completion of the levee improvements before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) revises flood area designation maps should result in significant savings for owners of parcels in these areas who have federally backed mortgages and are required to purchase flood insurance. Currently, the area covered by the SCR-3 project is not certified by FEMA for flood protection, making it necessary for VCPWA WPD to plan construction and revisions to the levee system in order to meet FEMA flood control standards.

VCPWA WPD intends to seek Board of Supervisors certification of its EIR for the SCR-3 Project. The EIR is required because the project would result in potential adverse impacts relating to scenic resources, glare, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, hazards, noise and vibration, transportation and circulation, utilities, flood control and drainage, and recreation. Most adverse impacts can be mitigated to a less than significant level; however, significant and unavoidable scenic resources and construction noise and vibration impacts would occur in Reach 4, which involves building a 1,850-foot-long, four- to six-foot-high flood wall located between the River Ridge Golf Course and the Union Pacific Railroad bridge.

The Draft EIR was revised after a public review period extending from December 7, 2015 through January 22, 2016. The Final EIR shows a change in preference of levee design options to Option 1A – Full Levee Alternative for Phase 1 of the levee project, which includes raising an existing 10,775-foot-long earthen levee and constructing a short section of floodwall between the Bailard Landfill south of Victoria Avenue and North Ventura Road.

The project is estimated to take three years to complete, and the agency believes it will start the project’s first phase this fall or winter. A Conditional Letter of Map Revision, which identifies the flood protection improvements proposed, will be submitted to FEMA for approval and comment; FEMA has 90 days to respond after receiving VCPWA’s submittal.

REMOTE ACCESS:     http://www.ventura.org/bos-archives/agendas-documents-and-broadcasts

FINAL EIR LINK:          www.vclevees.com

The SCR-3 project is just one of several flood protection projects either underway or proposed by VCPWA WPD. Other levee restoration projects are under review to ensure FEMA certification and protection of county residents from flood damage (for more information visit www.vclevees.com). In addition, earlier this year, FEMA awarded the county a Class 5 rating (up from Class 6), which allows owners or properties in floodplains in the unincorporated county areas to receive a 25 percent discount on new or renewed flood insurance policies. Ventura County is one of only five California counties to have this distinction.

Santa Clara River

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