Homeowners Whose Properties Are Threatened By Pleasanton Creek Will Get Help From Water Agency

PLEASANTON, CA — Several homeowners in Pleasanton who have lost huge chunks of their backyards to the now-massive Arroyo de Laguna Creek can breathe a small sigh of relief this week. During the last Zone 7 board meeting, the Board of Directors decided to move forward with emergency repairs to slow the erosion process and help the homeowners drowning in dire straits, according to Zone 7 officials.

However, the respite is fleeting. Rain will likely return to the Bay Area starting on Monday. Longtime Pleasanton resident David Raun said residents in the 7000 block of Foothill Road are still losing property even after days of warm, dry weather. Nine property owners in the area along the creek have an easement running along the backside of their properties to the creek. The easement is granted to Zone 7.

The unrelenting winter storms in January and February fed the creek, which used to be about 50 yards wide, and has steadily grown to about 200 yards resulting in an “S curve” shape that appears to drive the water toward the properties. The rushing water has gobbled vegetation, mature Redwood trees and claimed massive chunks of backyards from several homes.

“We are worried this could potentially take our home and our neighbor's home,” Raun told Patch in a previous article.

Raun said officials in Pleasanton and with Zone 7 have been responsive since residents started calling for help on Feb. 24. According to Raun, Zone 7 has secured emergency funding, and surveyors have been in the area. Zone 7 officials say they have been working with the Natural Resources Conservation Services and the city to find possible solutions.

"The initial cost estimate for the emergency construction at this site is in excess of $1 million, but this work would have to be removed and, should a long-term solution be required by the regulatory agencies, the estimate could go up to an estimated $5 million," Zone 7 officials said in a summary of the issues surrounding the creek erosion.

Raun said the emergency repairs could take two to four months. Crews were out at the properties Friday trying to protect the slope from the impending rain, according to Raun.

"Now, we are focused on trying to survive the rain in the forecast," Raun told Patch.

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• Creek Claims 40 Feet Of Yard; Homeowners Worry Their Property, Home May Not Survive Another Storm

Photos courtesy D. Raun