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Heavy rains have driven up water levels at the San Francisquito Creek on Monday morning, though with storms abating Palo Alto officials believe that the flooding is now unlikely.
As of 10:17 a.m., the bridge has been closed. Crews from Menlo Park and Palo Alto are working to clear debris from the area.
While the rain that has pummeled the region began to abate by 8:30 a.m., a gauge operated by the U.S. Geological Survey showed water levels creeping past 9.5 feet in the upstream area at Stanford University. That is the threshold for triggering the agency's "action stage," which connotes conditions in which jurisdictions are advised to take mitigating actions to protect communities from flood risk.
The USGS defines "minor flood stage" in this location at 11 feet and "major flood stage" at 14 feet. As of 9 a.m., the gauge showed water levels at 9.55 feet. But after peaking at 9.66 feet, water levels dipped to 9.1 feet by 10:30 a.m.
The data from the USGS monitors suggests that the area further downstream, including portions of the creek near the Pope-Chaucer and Newell bridges, will continue to see water levels rise over the coming hour or two. As of 9 a.m., Palo Alto's creek monitor at the Pope-Chaucer Bridge showed water rising by about a foot between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. The bridge, which has a capacity of 24 feet, had 16.1 feet of water as of 9:20 a.m. and 16.6 feet by 10:30 a.m.
Even so, Palo Alto officials believe the channel will accommodate the increasing water flow, according to an update that the city released just after 10 a.m.
"Despite a marked rise in creek levels earlier this morning, the current estimate and observed creek flow predict the highest flow around 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. today at a level that will NOT result in flooding, though staff are actively monitoring conditions," the announcement stated.
Menlo Park staff are keeping a close eye on water levels at San Francisquito Creek and the Atherton Channel, as well as water flow sensors and rain gauges further upstream, the city said in a storm update issued at 10:30 a.m. The city has set up equipment at Pope-Chaucer Bridge and inspectors are looking at the creek banks to check for erosion and stability.
The flood-prone bridge was last filled to capacity during the Dec. 31 storm, which forced water to spill out of the channel in areas around the bridge, flooding streets and damaging some properties in the flood zone near the bridge. A break in the weather that day prompted the water levels to subside shortly thereafter, averting the type of catastrophic flood damage that area residents had experienced during the February 1998 flood, which remains the biggest on record.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
