Emergency work on the Pajaro River levee continues; first phase is near completion.

Jun 23, 2023

Crews are finishing the first phase of emergency repair work on the Pajaro River levee. They are working on the last 20 feet of the 400-foot breach.

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Contractors are working non-stop to fill a 400-foot-wide breach at the Pajaro River levee. They are filling the gap with fill and rocks, and officials report there are just about 20 feet left to cover the width of the breach as of Tuesday afternoon, March 14, about three-and-a-half days after the breach occurred, causing widespread flooding in Pajaro.

This process provides stability and will prevent erosion and expansion of the breach. It is expected to slightly decrease the amount of water flowing into Pajaro. "Our first effort right now is stabilizing the site so the breach doesn't get bigger," Shaunna Murray, a senior engineer at the Monterey County Water Resources Agency told reporters in a virtual press conference.

Once crews finish filling the width of the gap, they will place large boulders raise its height, aiming to make it impermeable. In this first phase, crews are adding between 10 to 15 feet of material, then up to 5 feet in the future.

"That's when we'll start seeing larger benefits," Murray said. Raising the temporary wall is expected to take between one and two weeks to complete.

Murray says water is flowing through the culverts, which is good news, meaning it is draining the farm fields and the town of Pajaro.

On Monday, March 13, officials announced they had discovered a secondary breach further downriver, closer to the river's mouth near the ocean. That breach, Murray said, is helping to lower the flooding upstream, basically as a pressure relief valve: "That's a beneficial breach that happened naturally and it's allowing the water to evacuate the flooded areas," she said.

The state Department of Water Resources is the lead agency working on the Pajaro levee repair project, and hired contractor KW Emerson Inc. to do the work. "They're bringing in all the available resources to try and get it done as quickly as possible," Murray said.

The Pajaro levee broke shortly after midnight on March 11, and nearly 2,000 people were evacuated from 800 homes, including two mobile home parks. Sheriff Tina Nieto as of Tuesday, March 14, 239 people have been rescued since the breach happened using high-water vehicles and boats. "We are still using high-water vehicles to do rescues for people," she added.

A shelter at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds is at capacity. Santa Cruz County opened two additional shelters at the Watsonville Veterans Memorial Building (215 E. Beach St.) and Cabrillo College Gymnasium in Aptos (6500 Soquel Drive). Both places will provide food, supplies and a place to sleep.

The Mexican Consulate in San Jose will be visiting shelters on March 15 and will provide services including ID and birth certificates replacements, provide aid and for reunification or contacting relatives, and financial assistance.

A series of winter storms that arrived in Monterey County in early 2023 brought rainfall, high winds and big surf, creating hazardous conditio…

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