The Adobe Creek restoration project came a step closer to completion last week when the Board of Directors of the Santa Clara Valley Water District voted to move forward with engineering plans and permit applications. Construction along the creek is slated to start in winter 2008.
The project suffered several false starts including one in 2003 when the town of Los Altos Hills denied approval to plans the district had developed. Plans encroached on residents’ backyards. An informal group of residents and water district representatives organized into an Adobe Creek Watershed Group to collaborate on a plan that could win broad consensus – a partnership model that was new for the water district but has gotten results. The collaborative engineering design, project plan and Environmental Impact Report have gotten informal approval from the affected residents and agencies, according to group member and Los Altos Hills resident Susan Mandel.
“This go-ahead … proves that concerned citizens can work with their government agencies in a collaborative rather than adversarial fashion,” Jitze Couperus, group facilitator, wrote in a statement.
The Adobe Creek project focuses on a section of the stream running between Los Altos and Los Altos Hills known as Upper Reach 5. Silting, flooding and erosion in the creek has been exacerbated over the years by increased water runoff from local development.
The collaborative engineering design seeks to restore and maintain the natural environment of the creek. The project used computer simulation models and advice from consultants in the geomorphology and hydrodynamics of creek design.
The water district oversees the project with involvement from regional agencies including the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The cost of the project is estimated at approximately $4 million.
