Pajaro River Levee Response and Repairs

When a major California levee system failed following heavy rains, TRC’s construction management and inspection team was on location in a matter of hours to oversee repairs, reporting and safety around the clock until the breach was stabilized.

Challenge – Levee System Breach

The Pajaro River is a major river in the central coast region of California, and the levee system along its banks is designed to protect nearby communities from flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. In March of 2022 the Pajaro River Levee suffered a breach after unprecedented rains flooded several neighborhoods in Monterey County. The breach caused significant damage to homes, crops and infrastructure creating an immediate need for emergency response and repairs to the levee.

Solution – Immediate Construction Management, Inspection and Safety Response

TRC holds an ongoing contract with the State of California to provide construction management and inspection services to levees throughout the state. When the breach occurred, our team was on location in a matter of hours and oversaw teams working around the clock until repairs were completed. The repair process involved detailed inspection; real time reporting; and maintaining safety of the workers, nearby traffic and the public.

Repairing a levee breach involves proper method and placement of boulders ranging in size to block the opening in the levee. TRC inspected every item that came onto the job site to ensure materials used to stop the flow were the right type, size and placed using the approved methods to ensure the repairs were completed properly and timely.

Managing the jobsite required critical attention to safety by making sure that crews had adequate access to the site and breached areas, while still helping to maintain the flow of regular daily traffic and protecting nearby pedestrians. TRC’s safety coordinators made sure everyone responsible for working on the levees were aware of potential risks in the area and how to continue work in the safest capacity.

Result – Timely Stabilization and Repairs

The breach was stabilized within two days and full repairs were completed in under two weeks. As the breach was stabilized, Monterey County could begin to provide cleanup and repair programs to the surrounding affected areas.