Stevens Creek Bank Erosion & Outfall Repairs, Whisman Park Reach
Summary
SCH Number
2025120679
Public Agency
California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region 2
(RWQCB)
Document Title
Stevens Creek Bank Erosion & Outfall Repairs, Whisman Park Reach
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
12/16/2025
Document Description
The Project is located at Stevens Creek (Creek) near Whisman Park and about 2.5 miles upstream of San Francisco Bay in Mountain View, Santa Clara County (Lat. 37.40095; Long. -122.06939). Project work will involve bank stabilization and outfall repairs from erosion that occurred at three areas along approximately 700 linear feet (LF) of the Creek during the 2022/2023 Winter season. The bank erosion caused a near-vertical 15-ft-high scarp within about 8-10 horizontal feet from the edge of a paved pedestrian pathway along Stevens Creek Trail (Trail), which separates the Creek from State Highway 85 to the west. Additional bank erosion could result in damage and public access closure to both the Trail and/or the Hetch Hetchy Trail pedestrian bridge.
The Project will install planted and non-planted log-crib structures, planted biodegradable fabric-covered compacted soil slopes, and two buried storm drain culvert downdrains discharging onto rock-filled log-crib structure faces. Project work will be implemented at three work areas that include four bank erosion areas and two failed storm drain outfall areas. Work Area 1 is experiencing ongoing severe bank erosion (Bank Erosion Area 1) and features an exposed section of existing sakrete slope armor along the Creek bank, which is undermining the structural integrity of an existing cast-in-place steel-reinforced concrete downdrain (Bank Erosion Area 2 and Failed Storm Drain Outfall 1). Work Area 2 has severe bank erosion (Bank Erosion Area 3) that includes retreatment of the Creek top of bank into the existing gravel maintenance access road within the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) easement. At Work Area 3, severe bank erosion (Bank Erosion Area 4) has retreated the Creek top of bank to within eight feet from the Trail and four feet from the pedestrian bridge abutment and is undermining a downstream storm drain outfall (Failed Storm Drain Outfall 2).
Contact Information
Name
Nathaniel Goetz
Agency Name
California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region 2
Job Title
Water Resource Control Engineer
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Address
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Mountain View
Counties
Santa Clara
Regions
San Francisco Bay Area
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1; Section 15301(d) - Existing Facilities; restoration or rehabilitation of deteriorated or damaged structures
Reasons for Exemption
The project will involve bank stabilization and stormwater outfall repairs damaged from erosion along Stevens Creek Trail. The project will provide compensatory mitigation for the permanent impacts to waters of the State. The project’s permanent impacts will be mitigated by an on-site live willow brush mattress and log-crib wall planted with cuttings of live willows and other native riparian species. Compensatory mitigation for the project’s temporary impacts associated with construction will involve the installation of log-rootwads, seeding and revegetating native riparian plant species along the Creek banks and trench-burying existing willow tree pieces.