East Santa Clara Waterway Enhancement Project

About the Project

The East Santa Clara Waterway (ESCW) is a small tributary stream of the Willamette River, located on the northern edge of the Eugene metropolitan area. The waterway is approximately 2.5 miles in total length and flows northerly through a mix of urban, suburban, and agricultural lands before flowing into the Willamette River.

A defined 3/4-mile section of the ESCW, approximately between Division Avenue and just east of Lenox Road/Salty Way, has been the subject of interest by some adjoining property owners, primarily about the perceived risk of flooding. Due to the challenging physical and jurisdictional characteristics of this waterway, the City and County partnered to conduct a comprehensive study of the issues and opportunities, and proposed actions to address them. The ESCW study was completed in 2019 and the City and County continue to move forward in partnership to implement the proposed actions including a hydraulic analysis of the waterway segment which was completed in 2021 and the identification of a capital project to restore flow through the system.

The capital project will include regrading along the waterway, creating a dedicated low flow channel along the regraded sections, removing and replacing existing culverts, and restoring vegetation along the disturbed areas of the waterway. The project will be constructed in two phases, with the first phase extending from Lone Oak to just north of Hunsaker Lane (to be constructed in summer 2024) and the second phase extending from the terminus of phase one north to just east of Lenox/Salty Way.