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Seven potential flood-protection projects were unveiled Thursday by planners for San Francisquito Creek, a sign that help may be on the way for the thousands of at-risk residents and businesses.
The seven projects were winnowed down from more than 26 ideas generated by creek planners and the public.
All are expected to cost less than $50 million and meet federal criteria, a necessity if the long-awaited federal funding for a comprehensive flood-protection and environmental-restoration project ever comes through.
Construction on the chosen project could begin in 2011, years ahead of other alternatives that depend primarily on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers studies and schedule.
A huge setback this year when no federal funds were budgeted for the required studies was substantially offset this week when the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors agreed to spend as much as $3.5 million to keep the project on schedule.
The San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Board of Directors did not vote on the projects Thursday.
If one were to design a way to get water from the hills to the Bay, the channel would get deeper and wider as it approached the bay to accommodate the increased flow, Palo Alto Senior Engineer Joe Teresi said.
Yet near the bay, the creek can handle only 4,000 cubic feet of water per second, less than the 6,000 it can contain at the Middlefield Road bridge, Teresi said.
Therefore, any upstream projects must also include fixes east of U.S. Highway 101, or else flooding there will get worse, he said.
The projects are:
• Create a parallel channel as the creek passes the Palo Alto Golf Course. Construction alone is estimated to cost $9 million.
• Construct two spillways so floodwater can flow into the baylands north of the golf course and onto the golf course itself. A barrier would have to be constructed around the golf course to protect the airport and nearby development. Construction alone would cost about $10 million and the project could have adverse environmental effects on the sensitive baylands.
• Move back the levees east of Highway 101 to widen the channel. Construction alone would cost about $9 million.
• Raise the height of the levees east of Highway 101. That would cause water to back up west of Highway 101 so higher floodwalls would also need to be constructed. Construction alone could cost about $13 million.
• Add an additional culvert under Highway 101. That would allow more water to flow through, necessitating additional work downstream. Construction alone could cost about $11.5 million.
• Construct a water-storage area on Stanford University’s Webb Ranch property west of U.S. Interstate 280. By building berms, 20 acres could be used to store up to 260 acre feet of water, Menlo Park Public Works Director Kent Steffens said.
The water would be held and then returned to the creek when its level subsides, he said. Planners expect the Webb Ranch storage would only need to be used every 10 to 20 years. Stanford opposes the plan, however, Executive Director Cynthia D’Agosta said. Construction alone could cost about $8 million.
• Add culverts to the Middlefield Road and Chaucer Street bridges. That would require a project east of Highway 101 as well. Construction alone could cost $35 million, creek planners said.
Planners and engineers from the JPA’s five member agencies — Menlo Park, Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Mateo County Flood Control District and the Santa Clara Valley Water District — intend to pick the best two or three projects by June or July.
Next, the JPA plans to hire a consultant for $300,000 to produce technical studies and accurate cost estimates for the short-list of projects, according to Teresi.
The JPA meeting was the last for Executive Director Cynthia D’Agosta, who is leaving to become executive director of the non-profit Committee for Green Foothills.
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