By Lauren McSherry

After years of controversy and setbacks and months of planning and compromise, city officials for Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, residents of both communities and the Santa Clara Water District took a giant step forward April 20 towards the restoration of Adobe Creek.

The board of directors for the Santa Clara Water District approved consideration of the project proposed by the Adobe Creek Watershed Group and approved funds for the project last Tuesday.

This means that plans for restoring the creek can move forward and transferring funds for the project has been authorized, said Adobe Creek Watershed Group member Richard Moll.

“The entire Adobe Creek Watershed Group is thrilled and pleased to have the project back on a reasonable path,” Moll said. “We’re very excited that the collaborative’s work over the last 6 months has actually paid off (with) the board’s decision to reinstate the project.”

A collaborative meeting will be held June 7 to continue the process and to discuss how the collaborative will operate over the next couple of years, Moll said.

The Santa Clara Water District approved The Proposed Project Plan for Adobe Reach 5, a plan expected to alleviate flooding and erosion issues for a quarter-mile stretch of Adobe Creek along the Los Altos-Los Altos Hills border. The proposal seeks to protect habitat while at the same time address flooding and erosion problems.

A group of residents decided last year to bring together both cities, as well as creek neighbors, to develop an agreeable plan rather than take a chance that something worse would develop there.

For more than four years, water district officials have tried to persuade both city councils to approve two easement transfers in the stretch of creek labeled Reach 5 to enable improvements to accommodate the 100-year flood.

Such a plan has been in the works for about 10 years, according to district officials. In March 2003 the Los Altos Hills City Council rejected the district’s latest plan to remove about 140 trees along the creek , which stalled any improvements.

Los Altos City Manager Phil Rose called the group’s effort “the best example of community progress to creatively work through the process.”

For information, logon to www.lahopenspace.com/Adobe5.