About the project Work details - Santa Clara Valley Water District

Neighborhood Work 2015
Wildcat Creek Invasive
Vegetation Removal
Priority E: Provide flood protection to homes, business, schools and highways.
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This work will help restore the creek’s natural riparian
corridor, enhance environmental habitat and prevent
non-native plants from expanding along the creek.
The invasive species are plants typically used for
home gardens or moved around by wildlife and,
if not removed, can damage the creek’s ecosystem.
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The Santa Clara Valley Water District will conduct
vegetation control activities in your neighborhood
by removing invasive vegetation on Wildcat Creek
between Portos Drive and Vasona Creek confluence,
adjacent to Perego Way.
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About the project
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Wildcat Creek
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Harle
Saratoga
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Highlight indicates project area.
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Sobey Rd
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The work crew will selectivelty remove targeted
invasive vegetation. Mechanical weedwhackers
will remove herbaceous material, such as ivy.
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The project typically consists of two phases. Prior to
the start of the maintenance work, the district will do
a biological survey of the area. An onsite biologist
will conduct an assessment to identify any possible
wildlife or fisheries issues that the work could disturb.
Expect to see the biologist in the creek approximately
one week prior to the scheduled start date of
vegetation control activities.
A crew of up to four people will work at the site.
The crew expects to use hand-held weed whackers,
chainsaws, backpack sprayers and various
hand tools. Expect noise from weed whackers or
chainsaws during work hours. Crews will access the
creek at Portos Drive and all work will take place
within water district property or easement. No road
closures are expected.
Perego Way
Allenda
Work details
The water district expects vegetation control, the
second phase of the work, to start in late October
and take approximately three days to complete.
Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through
Friday.
P r oj ect Ar ea
Inset: Creek corridor overrun with invasive plants.
The water district will cut woody material near grade
and apply an approved herbicide registered for
natural areas to the cut stump to prevent re-growth.
It will spray some areas of herbaceous vegetation
with the same herbicide using backpack spray
equipment. Licensed and trained staff using approved
materials for the specific control activities will do the
herbicide work. The district will leave a 20-foot-wide
riparian buffer intact to provide habitat for fish and
wildlife species in the area.
continued on back »
More about us
As the county’s primary drinking water provider, the
Santa Clara Valley Water District ensures the safety
and abundance of drinking water. We operate 10
reservoirs which catch local rainfall and we import
water from the Sierra Nevada snowmelt through
the Delta. Some of that water replenishes the
underground aquifer for later pumping from wells
and some goes to one of our three drinking water
treatment plants. Once we treat and test the water to
meet all state and federal drinking water standards,
we sell it to water retailers like the San Jose Water
Company that resell it to individual homes and
businesses.
The water district also has a major role in the
stewardship of local water resources. We care for
hundreds of miles of streams by removing invasive
vegetation, repairing creek bank erosion, planting
native vegetation and removing sediment that can
impact the creek’s ability to carry floodwaters
during rainy months. We also have many programs
to reduce pollution and contamination in these
waterways. Where the flood threat is significant,
we undertake large construction projects such as
building levees or replacing undersized bridges.
Often, the water district can partner with a city or the
county to open a trail or park alongside the creek,
providing a recreational amenity for all to enjoy.
This project is in the West Valley Watershed,
an 85-square-mile area of multiple small-creek
watersheds. Characterized by the contrast between
its channelized creeks on the valley floor and its
more natural streams in the hillsides, this watershed is
the county’s smallest.
Santa Clara County
Drains to
Alameda County
Lower
Peninsula
Watersheds
West
Valley
Coyote
Watershed
Guadalupe
Watershed
Uvas/Llagas
Watersheds
West Valley Watershed in Santa Clara County
You’re in a watershed
A watershed is the area of land that drains a
common waterway. In Santa Clara County, our
creeks catch rain and runoff from storm drains and
carry the water north to San Francisco Bay or south
to Monterey Bay. Along the way, some of the water
is used to fill reservoirs for drinking water, replenish
the underground aquifer and create better habitat
for fish and wildlife.
CONTACT US
For more information, contact Jennifer Codianne
at (408) 630-3876 or by email at
jcodianne@valleywater.org. Or use our
Access Valley Water customer request and information
system at valleywater.org to find out the latest information
on district projects or to submit questions, complaints or
compliments directly to a district staff person.
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© 2015 Santa Clara Valley Water District • 10/2015 TM [Qty]