Date: Sept. 30, 2003

Army Corps of Engineers head visits water district

SAN JOSE – John Paul Woodley, Jr., the newly appointed Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Tuesday visited the Santa Clara Valley Water District and toured some of the federally funded flood protection projects in Santa Clara County.
Assistant Secretary Woodley is the civilian head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the tour was part of his efforts to learn more about current and proposed corps projects. Among the projects that Mr. Woodley visited was the Guadalupe River Park and Flood Protection project in San José, which will provide flood protection, habitat enhancement and restoration, as well as recreation in an urban area.

Above, Assistant Secretary Woodley, center, confers with Brandon Muncy, Senior Project Manager, Sacramento District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, left, and Dave Chesterman, Santa Clara Valley Water District Guadalupe Watershed Manager.

Earlier, welcoming the Assistant Secretary, water district Chairman Sig Sanchez said that the water district’s relationship with the corps was “a prime example of how a local agency can work in partnership with a federal agency to build projects that meet the values of the local community and the needs of the federal government.”

Above, Santa Clara Valley Water District Watershed Management Division Deputy Operating Officer Jim Fiedler discusses the Pond A4 Tidal Wetland Restoration Project.

During his day-long tour, Mr. Woodley also visited the Pond A4 Tidal Wetland Restoration project and the Upper Guadalupe River Flood Protection project. He was briefed about the water district’s efforts to get Congress to provide funding for the corps to carry out a study addressing tidal flood protection for low-lying areas around the San Francisco Bay.

Above, Santa Clara Valley Water District Board Member Richard Santos enlightens Assistant Secretary Woodley on issues of importance in the Lower Guadalupe element of the restoration project.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District manages Santa Clara County's wholesale drinking water resources, coordinates flood protection for its 1.7 million residents and provides stewardship for the county's 10 reservoirs and more than 700 miles of streams.