Valley Water crews worked throughout Santa Clara County this past summer and fall, maintaining our creeks as part of our Stream Maintenance Program. Our work in the creeks is dedicated to enhancing the health of our local ecosystems while reducing flood risks that threaten homes and businesses. Valley Water oversees about 333 miles of our county’s 800 miles of streams. Maintaining streams ensures that our 185 miles of flood protection projects remain effective.
Valley Water crews utilize heavy equipment to remove vegetation and accumulated sediment in our creeks, ensuring water can flow downstream effectively. This proactive maintenance reduces the risk of flooding for local properties. The list below outlines the areas where our teams conducted these important areas of work in 2024.
Bank Protection
High and sustained water flows can cause extensive damage to creek banks, eroding existing flood protection improvements and natural elements. Repairing creek banks also helps protect neighboring homes and property from damage.
Sediment Removal
Sediment and debris washed downstream can restrict water flow in some areas. During a heavy storm, these restricted-flow areas could cause water to back up, increasing the risk of flooding. Crews remove sediment to allow stormwater to flow through the creeks as designed.
Vegetation Management
Valley Water crews manage over 3,000 acres of instream and upland vegetation annually. Selective removal of instream vegetation maintains flow conveyance in streams and riparian corridors.
Mitigation
Valley Water implements mitigation projects to offset impacts associated with some of the bank protection, sediment removal, and vegetation management work.
As we gear up for the rainy season, our ongoing efforts to maintain our creeks are crucial in reducing the risk of flooding. But we can’t do it alone. We need your help. If you notice a blockage, don’t hesitate to call our Watersheds Operations and Maintenance Hotline at 408-630-2378 or use our online customer service portal at access.valleywater.org.
Remember, flood safety is a collective effort. Together, we can ensure our creeks are clean and carry stormwater away from properties and roads, safeguarding our communities.
Crews working along the Guadalupe River downstream of Willow Street. 
Crews perform maintenance work at Sunnyvale East Channel upstream of Tasman Drive. 
Crews performing fabric work at the Coyote Creek repair site. 
Bank protection work is performed at Sunnyvale East Channel downstream of Fremont Avenue. 
A Valley Water crew member sprays the bank of Princevalle Drain downstream of Automall Parkway in Gilroy.
| City | Type of Work | Name and Project Location |
| Gilroy | Bank Protection | Llagas Creek downstream of Buena Vista Ave. |
| Gilroy | Bank Protection | Llagas Creek upstream of Leavesley Rd. |
| Gilroy | Bank Protection | West Branch Llagas Creek downstream of Murray Ave. |
| Gilroy | Bank Protection | Princevalle Drain downstream of Automall Pkwy. |
| Gilroy | Vegetation Management | Llagas Creek, Buena Vista Ave to Hwy 152 |
| Los Altos | Sediment Removal | Permanente Diversion Channel upstream of Grant Rd. |
| Milpitas | Bank Protection | Piedmont Creek upstream of Vista Wy. |
| Milpitas | Mitigation | Piedmont Creek upstream of Vista Wy. |
| Palo Alto | Sediment Removal | Adobe Creek upstream of Hwy. 101 |
| San Jose | Sediment Removal | Guadalupe River downstream of Coleman Ave. |
| San Jose | Sediment Removal | Guadalupe River downstream of Park Ave. |
| San Jose | Bank Protection | Guadalupe River upstream of San Carlos St. |
| San Jose | Sediment Removal | Guadalupe River upstream of Woz Way |
| San Jose | Bank Protection | Guadalupe River downstream of Willow St. |
| San Jose | Mitigation Planting | Guadalupe Creek, Los Capitancillos Meadow |
| San Jose | Vegetation Management | Alamitos Creek, Camden Ave. to Almaden Expwy. |
| San Jose | Vegetation Management | Coyote Creek, Tasman Dr. to Montague Expwy. |
| San Jose | Bank Protection | Coyote Creek upstream of William St. |
| San Jose | Sediment Removal | Lower Silver Creek downstream of Alum Rock Ave. |
| San Jose | Bank Protection | Lower Silver Creek upstream of Alum Rock Ave. |
| Campbell | Mitigation Planting | Los Gatos Creek downstream Hamilton Ave. |
| Santa Clara | Bank Protection | Saratoga Creek upstream of Pruneridge Ave. |
| Santa Clara | Mitigation | Saratoga Creek upstream of Pruneridge Ave. |
| Santa Clara | Vegetation Management | San Tomas Aquino Creek downstream Hwy 237 to Hwy 101 |
| Sunnyvale | Vegetation Management | Sunnyvale East Channel upstream of Tasman Dr. |
| Sunnyvale | Bank Protection | Sunnyvale East Channel upstream of Tasman Dr. |
| Sunnyvale | Sediment Removal | Sunnyvale East Channel upstream of Tasman Dr. |
| Sunnyvale | Bank Protection | Sunnyvale East Channel downstream of Fremont Ave. |
| Sunnyvale, Santa Clara | Vegetation Management | Calabazas Creek downstream of Tasman Dr. |
I live next to Saratoga Creek and would like to see bank protection next to my property please. I have discussed this with a Valley Water District Engineer who came out several years ago and he indicated that bank protection would be forthcoming, but it hasn’t happened.
Hi William. Thanks for the comment. Can you please submit this request using our Access Valley Water form at https://access.valleywater.org/s/ This will allow our teams to track your information. Thanks
It is sad to see that VW still thinks only of our creeks as gutters to carry stormwater away. This is why they are not good homes for the fish who depend upon them to reproduce and keep nature in balance. Those steep banks that make narrow creeks are not what nature intended and are why we have flooding problems in the first place. A creek like Stevens Creek goes from a nominal 10 CFS when not raining to 1000CFS during heavy rain – an 100X increase. Yet we try to keep in only increasing in width buy maybe 4x. That leads to erosion and sediment being carried downstream, clogging the beds essential to fish habitat.