Santa Cruz County to begin Pajaro River levee repairs today
WATSONVILLE — Santa Cruz County officials have observed signs of seepage along an earthen levee of the Pajaro River levee system and will quickly move to engage in emergency repairs, according to a county release Tuesday night.
The repairs – set to begin Wednesday morning – will take place in an agricultural section of the levee more than a mile upstream of the confluence of the Pajaro River and Salsipuedes Creek and are expected to take about one week to finish.
Known among water engineering experts as a “seepage berm,” the effort will add support and structure to the levee system until levee replacement work previously authorized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins. County officials say the work is similar to a 1,600-foot repair that was completed in 2017 at a section just south of the currently concerning area.
The county will continue to monitor the levee overnight for any other signs of seepage or other concerns.
Watsonville-based Granite Rock will be the contractor for the project.