Residents living alongside the Riera de Vallvidrera, the stream running through La Floresta, have warned that further heavy rainfall could flood roads and put drivers, pedestrians and nearby homes at risk. In a statement dated 15 October 2026, residents of Carrer de Vallvidrera, Carrer de Palmira and Carrer de Sàndal asked Sant Cugat City Council for an urgent on-site inspection and repairs.

The residents say water recently overflowed at several points, carrying away bins and fences, eroding road edges and depositing sediment in the streambed. They say no homes were flooded at one affected section, but water flowed over the road where Carrer de Vallvidrera meets Passatge de Palmira.

For people using these streets, the immediate concern is that several crossings beneath access routes remain obstructed, reducing the space available for water to pass through during intense rain. The residents also say a streetlamp has fallen and that some telecommunications poles may be at risk because of erosion and inadequate drainage.

Residents say culverts remain obstructed

According to the residents' photographic dossier, soil, mud and stones have accumulated inside culverts beneath the stream. They say some crossings under entrances to homes have been reduced to about one foot in height, restricting the flow of water.

  • clearing the inside of blocked underground water crossings;
  • repairing damaged storm-drain pipes;
  • replacing safety barriers and reinforcing road edges; and
  • removing deposited soil from vegetation and the stream banks.

The residents sent two statements to the City Council after heavy rain in late September. In their 15 October 2026 letter, they said that, two weeks after their first complaint, most of the reported problems remained unresolved. They acknowledged that sand had been removed from some stretches of road, but said one culvert was still completely blocked by mud and stones.

Concern over sediment placed on stream banks

The group also alleges that street-cleaning services placed mud and soil cleared from Carrer de Sàndal directly on to the stream banks and surrounding vegetation. The residents say subsequent rain could wash that material back into the stream, adding to the obstruction of the crossings.

“The stream is saturated with sediment, with a large reserve ready to be moved.”Residents of Carrer de Vallvidrera, Carrer de Palmira and Carrer de Sàndal, in their 15 October 2026 statement

They have asked for the practice to stop and for the accumulated material to be removed, arguing that repairs should prevent a repeat rather than only address recent damage.

Residents also fear that blockages in the upper part of the stream could affect more populated and busier areas downstream. They are seeking an urgent municipal inspection before another episode of intense rainfall, with particular attention to the culvert at Carrer de Vallvidrera and Passatge de Palmira and to damaged drainage and road edges.

Reported by totsantcugat.cat, TOT Sant Cugat.