A $30 million nightmare that descended on parts of Palo Alto, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto eight years ago could return any winter and do just as much, if not more, damage. But although a rerun of the 1998 San Francisquito Creek floods could happen tomorrow, it is certainly not a sure thing, especially if a group representing all the concerned communities has something to say — and do — about it.
This cooperative venture, called the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority, has just signed a deal with the Army Corps of Engineers to study what can be done to assure residents who live in the flood plain and along the creek that their homes and families will be safe if a big winter storm brings torrential rains and floods the usually docile creek.
But like anything else in this world, such a study costs money, and members of the JPA had high hopes that half of the corps work for the 2007 budget year, some $450,000, could be paid for with federal funds. (The JPA, which is footing the other half of next year’s work, includes Menlo Park, Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, and the San Mateo County Flood Control District.)
When first proposed, this relatively modest sum seemed a lock for approval. So there was disappointment when the first pass of President Bush’s 2007 budget was unveiled without a nickel for this very important creek project.
Board members, including City Council member Lee Duboc of Menlo Park, are urging anyone who lives in the creek flood plain to write to Rep. Anna Eshoo and urge Congress to restore the funds.
Ms. Eshoo said she is concerned that pressures from major matters — such as the Iraq war, rebuilding the communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and the President’s tax cuts — could force all but the most critical corps projects out of the budget.
That would be a very unfortunate outcome, but before giving in, everyone involved needs to write letters and lobby anyone else they know in Washington power circles to save the creek study funds.
It will take years, and an estimated $7.5 million, to complete a major blueprint of what can be done to save this historic waterway that carries runoff from local hillsides to the creek and on to San Francisco Bay. Work first must be done to identify ways to protect communities from future floods. A design and engineering phase would come next, then an environmental review of the project, and finally, construction. The process could take 10 years or more.
Ms. Eshoo said she feels there is a possibility that the House Appropriations Committee will not fund any local projects in this budget cycle, so she asks that any support letters reach her by March 15. This is a project worth every bit of effort our communities can muster. Send letters of support to:
** Palo Alto office: Rep. Anna Eshoo, 698 Emerson St., Palo Alto, CA 94301. Telephone: (650) 323-2984.
** Washington office: Rep. Anna Eshoo, 205 Cannon Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. Telephone (202) 225-8104.
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