Conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property arose within the County, caused by a series of severe rainstorms that began in January 2017 and continued into February, and led to widespread flooding, mudslides, sinkholes and damage to public buildings, flood control facilities and roadways, including the collapse of a portion of Alhambra Valley Road at Pinole Creek, caused by a massive sinkhole. Due to the protracted rains and saturated soil conditions, a portion of Morgan Territory Road, approximately one mile south of Marsh Creek Road in unincorporated Contra Costa County, began showing signs of sliding during the week of February 20. The movement caused a break in the existing water line and the slide cracked the road surface, and made the road impassable. Residents to the south of the slide location had to be diverted south to Livermore as their only access option. To address the emergency situation, the Board of Supervisors explored alternate access routes while Morgan Territory Road remained closed. The repair work to Morgan Territory Road required removal of debris, excavation, installation
of a structural retaining wall system, backfill, construction of embankment, new pavement, and pavement striping.
These conditions were beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of the County. The initial damage estimate encompassed the County’s response and cleanup of various sites throughout the county and estimated costs to repair damages from the storm. The estimate included road infrastructure, flood control infrastructure, public building facilities and park and recreation facilities. The majority of the damage occurred on or along rural county roads. The largest and most significant damage occurred on Alhambra Valley Road at Pinole Creek, and on Morgan Territory Road in Clayton, where there were washouts of the roads. Flood control infrastructure also experienced storm related damage. Public building and park facilities suffered minimal impact from the storm. A slideshow illustrating the storm damage can be accessed at this link: January 2017 Storm Damage Slideshow .
Since the Board's original emergency declaration of January 19, Public Works Department crews responded to isolated mudslides, localized flooding, downed trees and drainage issues throughout the county, along with intermittent road closures including Marsh Creek Road, Morgan Territory Road, and a partial closure at Alhambra Valley Road at Ferndale Road. There, additionally, were isolated issues related to County buildings/facilities including 50 Douglas Drive, 12000 Marsh Creek Rd (Detention Facility) and the County Hospital. Public Works crews responded to items as they were reported. On March 7, 2017, the Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency and authorized the Public Works Director to proceed in the most expeditious manner with the Morgan Territory Road slide repair project.
Government Code Section 8630 requires that, for a body that meets weekly, the need to continue the emergency declaration be reviewed at least every 30 days until the local emergency is terminated, which shall occur at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant. The conditions that warranted the emergency declaration have been mitigated and, therefore, it is appropriate for the Board to terminated the local emergency.
Pursuant to Resolution No. 2017/404, the proclamation of local emergencies by the Board of Supervisors on January 19 and February 14, 2017 (Resolutions No. 2017/404 and 2017/65) cannot remain in effect more than 30 days unless they are reviewed and continued by the Board of Supervisors.