Strong partnership brings creek restoration to City of Los Altos and Town of Los Altos Hills

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Susan Siravo
Office: (408) 265-2607, ext. 2290
Mobile: (408) 398-0754

SANTA CLARA COUNTY— The groundbreaking ceremony for the Adobe Creek Upper Reach 5 Restoration Project is happening May 7. This means residents of the Town of Los Altos Hills and City of Los Altos, along with employees of the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) will celebrate the success of their collaborative efforts.

This project will provide habitat restoration and bank protection along Adobe Creek Upper Reach 5, downstream of West Edith Avenue. 

In September 2003, a collaborative planning effort was initiated with members of the Adobe Creek Watershed Group, creek-side residents, staff from the City of Los Altos and Town of Los Altos Hills, various regulatory agencies and Valley Water.  This collaborative group worked tirelessly to plan and design a project that everyone could be proud of.  This unusual collaborative effort required a very close and open relationship to work through the many issues that arise when planning and designing a project. 

Richard Moll, a Los Altos resident, commends Valley Water employees for their “patience and leadership as we worked through the challenging process of making the collaborative process a reality, and especially for being so responsive to our concerns.”

Valley Water Board of Directors Chair, Rosemary Kamei says, “Providing flood protection to residents while enhancing the natural environment is part of our mission. Working with a group of residents that has the same passion for restoring nature led to a successful project design and this collaboration will serve as a model for future projects.”
 
Some of the improvements the community will see:

• Removal of  the existing concrete creek banks and bottom
• Repair and stabilization of the eroded banks
• Improved fish passage through the creek
• Removal of many non-native trees
• Promotion of the natural habitat by using shrubs and trees native to the Adobe Creek watershed
• Improved flood protection for this stretch of Adobe Creek

Work is expected to begin in early May and take approximately eight months to compete. Typical construction noise can be expected during work hours, which are from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.  In the unlikely event of delays, it may be necessary to extend work hours or schedule some work on Saturdays.

A five to eight-person crew will be working at the project site.  Equipment used will include jack hammers, backhoes, trucks, concrete equipment, loaders and dump trucks.  Trucks and crews will access the creek at West Edith Avenue, Fremont Road, and Seven Acres Lane.  No road closures are expected, but traffic control may be needed at times.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Adobe Creek Upper Reach 5 Restoration Project will take place at Edith Park at West Edith Avenue and Fremont Road on May 7 at 6 p.m.
For more information about this event, contact Susan Siravo at (408) 265-2607, ext. 2290 or at ssiravo@valleywater.org.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District manages wholesale drinking water resources and provides stewardship for the county's watersheds, including 10 reservoirs, hundreds of miles of streams and groundwater basins. The water district also provides flood protection throughout Santa Clara County.