Erosion & Restoration

SCVWD armoring the Palo Alto side in 1958. Photo courtesy of the Palo Alto Historical Society. 
Between 1955 and 1985, the Santa Clara Vally Water District (SCVWD) armored much of the Palo Alto side of the creek with concrete sacks. Since then, the San Mateo County side has suffered most of the severe erosion along the creek. A Master Plan to restore the creek and provide ecologically sensitive erosion protection for East Palo Alto and Menlo Park was detailed, but never funded.
The San Francisquito Creek Joint Power Authority has restoration and erosion protection as a key element of it's charter, but no funds are budgeted at this time.
Achieving 100-year flood protection using floodwalls will dramatically increase erosion and require expensive prevention measures that are not currently included in JPA cost estimates.
Achieving 100-year flood protection using upstream diversion and detention would will minimize these environmental and economic costs.

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