State and federal partners today celebrated the groundbreaking of a project that will provide 100-year flood risk reduction to the City of Watsonville, the Town of Pajaro and surrounding agricultural areas. Since taking office, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation to provide advanced funding for the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project, cover 100 percent of non-federal costs and streamline environmental review.
The Governor traveled to Pajaro last year amid major flooding to pledge the state’s support for the community and work to protect against flood risk. Existing levees that protect the area were built decades ago and provide only an eight-year level of flood protection from the lower Pajaro River and its tributaries. The project under construction will provide 100-year flood risk reduction to the City of Watsonville and the Town of Pajaro.
Construction is being managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency.
The Governor, in partnership with the Legislature, has invested a total of $560 million over the last two state budgets to support flood response and projects to protect communities from future flooding. $125 million of this funding was made available last fall to support flood preparedness and recovery projects in at-risk communities.
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