Pitted against the Central Valley levees and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — not to mention the war in Iraq — the San Francisquito Creek project may miss out on much-needed federal money this year.
What that means for the local community, and even for the creek itself, remains unclear, according to Cynthia D’Agosta, executive director of the five-member San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (JPA), which includes the city of Menlo Park.
“Since we’re not in the budget, the next step is to figure out how we can keep things going,” said Heyward Robinson, a Menlo Park councilman and delegate to the JPA. “There’s a worry that if we stop work altogether, we could lose a lot of momentum.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is focused on larger projects and congressional leaders have cracked down on “earmarks,” which are additions to funding bills that have funded the project in the past, Ms. D’Agosta said. “There’s not a lot of patience for or interest in small-town projects,” she said.
Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Menlo Park, has tried repeatedly to find money for the bill, Ms. D’Agosta has said, noting the final budget has not yet been approved. “We’re not giving up and neither is Eshoo,” she said.
San Francisquito Creek’s massive flood protection and ecosystem restoration project is currently two years into a $7.5-million feasibility study — originally slated for completion in 2011, an estimate that has now been pushed back to 2013 or 2015, Ms. D’Agosta said.
The study is focused on how to reduce the chance for flooding along the creek, and how to best restore wildlife.
But without the requested $700,000 in federal funds for the 2008 fiscal year, the actual project could remain more than a decade away.
The JPA has options, however, Ms. D’Agosta said.
The local partners — including Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Mateo County Flood Control District, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Palo Alto — could pitch in more than their expected $700,000 this year to keep the study progressing, Ms. D’Agosta said.
Councilman Robinson said the money could come from the state level, and he’s asked Assemblyman Ira Ruskin, D-Redwood City, to lobby for state funds to go toward the creek project.
The JPA could also try to find a different federal source, such as the recently passed Water Resources Development Act, or find a replacement for the Army Corps, Ms. D’Agosta said.
