During the heavy winter rains of 2017, a significant portion of the Guadalupe Riverbank downstream of Willow Street failed, threatening an apartment building within 10 feet of the riverbank. If left unmitigated, the bank failure would have continued and impacted the adjacent residential property. BKF was retained shortly after the 2017 storm events to assist with design to stabilize the bank and to assist with regulatory permits. BKF provided civil engineering design services to support the development of construction drawings and to support construction activities related to the project.
BKF also provided permitting support to address questions raised by the City and other regulatory agencies. During the winter rains in 2018/2019, when the regulatory permit review was underway, the bank failure enlarged in the downstream direction by approximately 40 feet, and much of the original landslide debris that had been buttressing the base of the riverbank eroded away. This presented an emergency, as any future significant rain event could trigger additional landslides, potentially compromising the structural integrity of the apartment building.
To mitigate the potential for significant impacts to the apartment building, BKF coordinated extensively with regulatory agencies, Valley Water, and the City of San Jose to complete permit reviews in a timely manner so that construction could commence prior to the next winter rainy season. In coordination with the geotechnical consultant and regulatory agencies, it was determined to extend the bank protection to the full length of the property. Bank stabilization included Willow planted rock. Construction of bank stabilization was completed in October of 2020.
