BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Government Code § 84308 Applies: Yes ☐ No ☒
(If “YES” Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code § 84308)
SUBJECT: Title
Receive an Update on El Nino Preparedness for the 2026-2027 Rainy Season.
End
RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
Receive information regarding staff efforts to prepare for the 2026-2027 rainy season, including potential El Nino conditions.
Body
SUMMARY:
As the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) prepares for the upcoming rainy season and forecasted El Nino conditions, staff are coordinating agency-wide efforts to help protect people, property, infrastructure, and the environment. The preparedness approach builds on Valley Water’s existing flood risk reduction, emergency response, stream maintenance, and community outreach programs, while emphasizing actions that can be taken before and during significant storm events.
The agency-wide effort is organized around four areas: public outreach and communications, emergency operations and preparedness, watershed operations and maintenance, and community assistance. Together, these activities are intended to prepare the public, strengthen Valley Water’s readiness to respond to changing storm conditions, maintain the portions of the creek and flood risk reduction infrastructure for which Valley Water has responsibility, and provide residents and local partners with information and resources to address flood risk.
Public Outreach and Communications
Valley Water is continuing its robust public outreach activities to help residents and businesses understand the potential for wetter and more intense storm conditions and the actions they can take to prepare. A comprehensive flood preparedness campaign will launch in October, with particular emphasis on neighborhoods at known flood-prone “hot spot” locations.
Outreach will include flood preparedness mailers to properties within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Special Flood Hazard Area and other identified hot spots, the annual San Francisquito Creek flood preparedness mailer, and an updated educational mailer for creekside property owners describing maintenance responsibilities for properties adjacent to waterways that are not maintained by Valley Water. Staff will also use digital, social, and outdoor advertising platforms, newsletters, the Valley Water website, weather alerts, Speakers Bureau presentations, community events, and education programs to distribute flood preparedness information.
Valley Water is also coordinating with local and statewide partners to broaden the reach of preparedness messaging. Planned activities include a joint flood preparedness press conference with the City of San Jose, County of Santa Clara, and National Weather Service, a winter partner toolkit for cities and volunteer organizations, and continued outreach through Water Ambassadors, grantees, and other community programs. In addition, Valley Water is working with the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), and other statewide and local organizations to encourage the Governor to issue an executive order to grant emergency authority to flood control agencies across the state to prepare for the potentially devastating storms resulting from the El Nino conditions.
The Office of Government Relations (OGR) is also supporting Valley Water’s El Nino storm-preparedness efforts through a phased outreach plan to local, state, and federal elected officials. Efforts already underway include briefings with local and federal elected officials, targeted coordination with cities and key partners, and assistance with distributing flood preparedness materials and partner toolkits to elected officials, business, civic, and environmental groups, and chambers of commerce via OGR’s Constant Contact database, which has more than 1,000 contacts.
During October and November, OGR will continue briefings with our Santa Clara County state legislative delegation, local city officials, County Supervisors, and other key partners, including organizing a Joint City of San Jose/Valley Water Board meeting focused on El Nino storm preparedness. Throughout the winter season, OGR will amplify flood preparedness messaging, conduct targeted outreach to elected officials in identified flood-prone areas and hot spots, and provide real-time coordination and updates to appropriate elected officials during storm activations.
Emergency Operations and Preparedness
Valley Water is preparing its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and response organization for the rainy season through staff training, review of EOC checklists and procedures, validation of response staffing, and exercises designed to strengthen coordination during flood events. Internal and interagency exercises are being conducted to validate emergency response actions and coordination procedures.
On January 13th, Valley Water and the City of Palo Alto led a tabletop exercise on the San Francisquito Creek Multi-Agency Coordination (SFC MAC) Plan. The exercise brought more than 60 representatives from local, county, state, and federal agencies to discuss how they would coordinate during a flooding event along San Francisquito Creek. On July 30th, Valley Water conducted an interagency tabletop exercise for flooding from an Anderson Dam emergency. Valley Water will also conduct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Anderson Dam Functional Exercise on September 30, with the City of San Jose and other jurisdictions participating through their emergency operations organization. Staff are also coordinating with San Jose and other agencies on joint preparedness activities and response procedures in advance of the winter season.
Preparedness is supported by Valley Water’s year-round storm monitoring and flood forecasting capabilities. Valley Water monitors weather conditions using multiple forecast sources and operates more than 140 precipitation, reservoir-level, and stream gauges, as well as an X-band radar at the Penitencia Water Treatment Plant. The data is used with hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and forecasting tools to support decisions by Valley Water staff, emergency responders, partner agencies, and the public as storm conditions develop.
Watershed Operations and Maintenance
Valley Water’s annual Stream Maintenance Program (SMP) is a key component of rainy-season preparedness. The program provides a framework for routine maintenance of waterways and flood protection facilities while considering environmental requirements. Maintenance activities can include sediment removal, vegetation management, bank protection, and environmental mitigation, with work prioritized based on site conditions, flood protection needs, infrastructure, access, and applicable permits and property rights.
Much of this work is conducted during the dry season, so crews can safely access creek channels and complete activities under environmental work windows before winter storms arrive. Valley Water also conducts inspections throughout the year, including pre-storm inspections of known areas of concern, to identify debris blockages, maintenance needs, and other conditions that may affect flood protection or access during the rainy season.
This year’s annual Stream Maintenance Program includes proposed projects at 167 locations in Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Mountain View, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, and Sunnyvale. Recent work includes the Sierra Creek Sediment Removal Project in San Jose, where Valley Water crews removed approximately 810 cubic yards of sediment. Valley Water is also prepared to inspect and respond to conditions in the field as storms develop, consistent with its responsibilities, available access, and applicable regulatory requirements.
Valley Water maintains approximately 350 of the roughly 800 miles of creeks in Santa Clara County’s urbanized valley areas. The remaining creek mileage includes waterways owned or managed by private property owners and local government agencies. The extent of Valley Water’s ability and responsibility to perform work varies by location and depends on factors including ownership, easements, the presence of constructed flood protection facilities, and regulatory requirements. This distinction is important to ensuring that preparedness activities are coordinated with the property owners and agencies responsible for other portions of the creek system.
Community Assistance Programs
Valley Water provides resources to help residents and local partners prepare for and respond to flood risk, particularly in areas where Valley Water does not own or maintain the affected property. Community assistance includes flood preparedness information, sandbags, targeted field outreach, and the Valley Water flood preparedness hotline and public information resources.
One such program, the Creekside Neighbor Rebate Program, can provide financial assistance for eligible creek projects, including certain bank stabilization, sediment removal, and tree or blockage removal activities. The program is intended to help property owners and local agencies plan, permit, and fund projects before problems become emergencies. Because eligible projects require planning and regulatory approvals, the program is not an emergency-response solution for the upcoming rainy season. However, it can help communities address creek-related risks in advance of future seasons.
Valley Water will also encourage residents and property owners to understand their local flood risk, prepare before storms, and consider resources such as flood insurance and FEMA assistance. These efforts complement Valley Water’s own flood protection and emergency response activities by helping communities prepare for risks that may occur on property outside Valley Water’s direct responsibility.
Together, these efforts provide an agency-wide approach to El Nino and rainy-season preparedness that combines public education, emergency readiness, proactive stream and flood protection maintenance, real-time monitoring, and community resources. Staff will continue to monitor weather conditions and coordinate with partner agencies as the season approaches and will adjust operational readiness as conditions warrant.
A PowerPoint presentation will be provided by supplemental memorandum on Friday, September 18, 2026.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IMPACT:
There are no environmental justice impacts associated with the El Nino preparedness efforts. This action will not result in disproportionate impacts on any specific communities relative to the general population. However, these efforts are expected to provide broad public safety benefits by improving flood preparedness and awareness throughout Santa Clara County, with targeted outreach and resources provided to communities and neighborhoods at greater risk of flooding. This approach helps ensure that residents, businesses, and other community members, particularly those in flood-prone areas, have access to information and resources to prepare for and respond to winter storms.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No financial impact is anticipated from the recommended action, which is informational in nature.
CEQA:
The recommended action does not constitute a project under CEQA because it does not have potential for resulting in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
*Supplemental Board Agenda Memorandum
*Supplemental Attachment 1: PowerPoint
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER: Manager
Chris Hakes, 408-630-3796