E7: San Francisco Bay Shoreline Protection*

Public Hearing in February 2025

On February 25, 2025, the Valley Water Board of Directors will continue its public hearing about a proposed modification to one of the Safe, Clean Water Program projects. The Board will consider reallocating funds from one phase of the San Francisco Bay Shoreline Protection Project that is not currently moving forward due to a decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to a phase currently under construction and requiring additional funding to complete. To achieve this, the Board will consider modifying one of the Shoreline project’s key performance indicators, which measure the project’s performance over time.

Attend the public hearing on February 25, 2025 at 1 p.m. in-person at Valley Water headquarters (5700 Almaden Expressway, San Jose) or via Zoom (valleywater.zoom.us/j/84454515597).

This is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) led project, in partnership with Valley Water, and the California State Coastal Conservancy (Conservancy).  Due to the extent of the project area, the project was split into 11 Economic Impact Areas (EIAs).  Phase I of the project includes EIA 11 in the Alviso area of the City of San Jose.  Phase II focuses on EIAs 1-4, from San Francisquito Creek in Palo Alto to Permanente Creek in Mountain View. Phase III is also known as the Shoreline (Sunnyvale) Feasibility Study and focuses on the remaining EIAs 5-10, from Permanente Creek in Mountain View to Guadalupe River in San José.

Economic Impact Area 11 (Phase I)

Economic Impact Area (EIA) 11 includes the urban area of North San José, the community of Alviso and the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility. There are five reaches under EIA 11 (Phase I).  See map here.

Construction work on Reaches 1 through 3 began in December 2021 and is estimated to continue until Summer 2025. Reach 1 extends from Alviso Marina to Union Pacific Railroad and Reaches 2 and 3 stretch from the Union Pacific Railroad to Artesian Slough. Daily construction hours are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on weekends if necessary, excluding holidays. To date, crews have built the Reaches 1 - 3 levee alignment to elevation 15.2 feet and are currently installing rodent control measures along the slopes. Approximately 85% of the construction contract has been completed. There will be no public access to trail users across the Pond A12, A13, A16, and A17 berms that are within the construction work area. See the fact sheet here. 

Design of Reaches 4 and 5, which extend from the Artesian Slough East to Coyote Creek, are on hold while construction phasing, access points, haul routes, staging, and easements are being addressed with the property owner.  USACE and the non-federal partners are looking for alternative measures that meet project objectives and reduce construction costs.  Before being put on hold, 60% levee design plans and specifications were completed in October 2020.

A multi-agency partnership

The Shoreline Project is a strongly supported project as evidenced by the signing of the USACE Chief's Report in December 2015, with a total Feasibility Study cost of $22 million, followed by its authorization for design and construction in the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act in December 2016. 

The total project cost is $545 million to implement coastal flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, and recreational project elements. The project has received $124 million under the USACE 2018 Disaster Supplemental Appropriations Bill. California State Coastal Conservancy’s (Conservancy) and Valley Water’s total local cost share of the project is $309 million. Valley Water’s local cost share is $207 million, and the Conservancy’s local cost share is $102 million. Valley Water has secured $15 million from the 2012 Safe, Clean Water Program, $61 million from the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority’s Measure AA program, and $14.7 million from Conservancy grant to support Reaches 1-3 and Reaches 4-5 levee construction respectively. The remaining share of Valley Water funds will be from the Watershed Stream Stewardship Fund and Senate Bill 881 will allow Valley Water to be eligible for reimbursement from the Department of Water Resources (DWR) State Subventions Program pending DWR funding availability. Future federal appropriations of $17 million will be required for restoration monitoring.

For significant EIA 11 project milestones reached, click here.

Economic Impact Areas 1-4 (Phase II)

Economic Impact Area (EIAs) 1-4 include the shoreline areas located between San Francisquito Creek in Palo Alto and Permanente Creek in Mountain View. It includes the communities of Palo Alto and Mountain View.  The Phase II Feasibility Study was concluded in April 2024. See the fact sheet for more information. 

Current activities:

• The USACE Study determined that the damages from coastal flooding are not great enough to justify the cost of a levee until sea level rise is greater in several decades.
• USACE has finalized study documentation and concluded the study. 
• Valley Water is considering alternate means of working with local partners or USACE on smaller projects in the study area to address near-term coastal flooding.

Economic Impact Areas 5-10 (Phase III / Sunnyvale Study)

Economic Impact Area (EIAs) 5-10 include the shoreline areas located between Permanente Creek in Mountain View and the Guadalupe River in San Jose.  It includes the communities of Mountain View, NASA, Sunnyvale, San José, and Santa Clara. The Shoreline (Sunnyvale)/Phase III Feasibility Study was initiated in August 2023.

Current activities:

• The USACE is developing a hydraulic model for the study area, gathering data from local stakeholders, and developing project alternatives. 
• The USACE’s first milestone in its planning process, the Alternatives Milestone Meeting, was held over two meetings.  The first meeting was held in May 2024, and the second was held in October 2024.  The purpose of the milestone was for the USACE team to gain alignment on the proposed feasibility study scope, schedule, and budget. The schedule and budget for this project will be provided following USACE Headquarters approval, expected early in 2025. 
• EIA 10: Valley Water is working with the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project team to plan flood risk management efforts in EIA 10 (Calabazas/San Tomas Aquino Creek-Marsh Connection Project).

   EIAs 5-10 Completed milestones:

• Valley Water completed a Preliminary Feasibility Study in March 2017 for EIAs 1-10.
• Valley Water completed a Visioning effort in 2019 in partnership with the San Francisco Estuary Institute, Google, the City of Sunnyvale, Lockheed Martin, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, NASA, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project. The Vision group successfully lobbied Congress for dedication of funds, increased alignment between stakeholders, explored synergies between individual planning efforts, and gathered data USACE will need for their analysis. An executive summary documenting the Vision group’s efforts was finalized in December 2021 and can be accessed here. 
• The Study received federal funding, the Feasibility Cost Share Agreement between Valley Water and USACE was signed, and a kickoff meeting was held in August 2023.  The Conservancy signed on as a local sponsor via an amendment in October 2023. 
• A planning charrette was held in late November 2023 to identify potential project alternatives.
• Additionally, a public scoping meeting was held in February 2024. (See link to meeting materials above) to gather public feedback on the study. 
• The Alternatives Milestone Meeting (AMM) Part I was held in April 2024. It included the alternatives that USACE will evaluate as part of the feasibility study.
• The AMM Part II was held in October 2024. It included recommended cost and schedule for the study, which will be publicized once approved by USACE leadership in November.

March 2025