Water District To Seek Federal Funds For Coyote Creek

Santa Clara Valley Water District officials announced Tuesday they will request federal assistance to help reduce and prevent future flooding of the Coyote Creek area.

The announcement comes after storms and heavy rainfall last week caused flooding in areas around the creek. Mandatory evacuations forced many residents to leave their homes and enter shelters.

"We want to actively start the process of seeking assistance from our congressional leaders to help us convince the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to step in and work with us to take new measures to reduce or prevent this type of flooding in the future," board chair John Varela said in a statement.

In 1997, storms caused flooding along areas of Coyote Creek, prompting water district officials to seek federal assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The request, however, was rejected because there was
no federal interest, according to water district officials.

Water district officials said they will reach out to local Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Ro Khanna to have them tour the flooded areas and examine flood risk reduction measures.

— Bay City News; Image via Wikimedia Commons