The McKelvey Park Flood Detention Project has won another prestigious award, the 2021 Engineering Excellence Merit Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of California (ACEC).
ACEC recognized the McKelvey Park Flood Detention Project as a public works project that demonstrates excellence in its planning, design and construction, and coordinated effort between various stakeholders to complete the project.
“It is an honor to receive another prestigious award for the McKelvey Park Project,” said Valley Water Vice Chair Gary Kremen, who represents District 7. “We couldn’t have completed this landmark project without the support from the Mountain View community and the collaboration among Valley Water’s staff, the City of Mountain View, contractors, and consultants who collectively helped bring this innovative flood protection project to life.”
This is the latest award Valley Water has received for the McKelvey Park Flood Detention Project. It recently won two other accolades, the Project of the Year Award from the Silicon Valley Chapter American Public Works Association (APWA) and the Project Excellence Award from the Northern California Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).
The McKelvey Park Flood Detention Project was built primarily for flood protection, with a unique feature for the community. The project includes a first-of-its-kind ballpark and detention basin that will contain floodwaters when Permanente Creek overflows, helping to provide flood protection for Mountain View and Los Altos. Along with the upgraded baseball park, the project also included constructing a new mini park with playgrounds, a new community building and a walking path.
The McKelvey Park Flood Detention Project is one completed part of the larger Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project. Creek channel improvements were completed in 2018 and included channel widening and deepening, raising levees, filling embankments, and new floodwalls.
Construction of a detention basin at Rancho San Antonio County Park is the final element of this project, which is nearing completion. Rancho San Antonio Park visitors will soon enjoy improved trails and more space for hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding, in addition to a bigger parking area with designated equestrian spaces. The area has also been planted with a variety of native trees and other environmental enhancements.
The completed Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project will provide flood protection for approximately 2,200 homes and businesses in Mountain View and Los Altos, saving residents thousands of dollars on flood insurance each year.
Valley Water News 