EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: April 4, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Melvin E. Gaines, City Manager
BY: Glen March, Senior Engineer
Humza Javed, Public Works Director
Batool Zaro, Associate Engineer
SUBJECT: Comments to the Notice of Preparation of Environmental Impact Report for the Searsville Watershed Restoration Project dated February 14, 2023 Recommendation
By motion:
1. Provide staff direction regarding any desired modifications to the draft comment letter for the Notice of Preparation (NOP) of Environmental Impact Report for the Searsville Watershed Restoration Project (proposed) dated February 14, 2023; (Attachment 1); and
2. Direct the City Manager to transmit the final comment letter to the California Department of Water Resources to serve as the City’s official comments to the NOP for the proposed Project.
Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
· Promote public health and safety
Background
Searsville Reservoir is an artificial impoundment created by the construction of Searsville Dam in 1891 on Corte Madera Creek, just upstream of the confluence where it joins with Bear Creek and forms San Francisquito Creek. Stanford owns and operates the Searsville Reservoir and Dam, the San Francisquito Creek Pump Station, and Felt Reservoir and uses these facilities to supply non-potable water for irrigation, stock watering, and fire suppression. Since construction of the dam, Searsville Reservoir has been filling with sediment, and water storage capacity has been reduced from about 1,200 acre-feet to about 100 acre-feet. The reservoir will eventually fill completely with sediment, at which point sediment originating in the upper watershed will pass over the dam and deposit downstream in San Francisquito Creek, increasing the risk of flooding. The EIS/EIR will analyze Stanford's proposed project to modify Searsville Dam and Reservoir and restore reaches of Corte Madera Creek and San Francisquito Creek upstream and downstream of the dam, expand Felt Reservoir, and upgrade the existing San Francisquito Creek pump station.
To address these issues, Stanford has proposed a multi-phase project on Stanford property at Searsville Reservoir and Dam; in Corte Madera and San Francisquito Creeks from Searsville Dam downstream to Interstate 280 in unincorporated San Mateo County; at Felt Reservoir in unincorporated Santa Clara County; and at the San Francisquito Creek Pump Station site which straddles the boundary between San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
The proposed project includes the following components: (1) constructing a gated tunnel through Searsville Dam to flush a substantial amount of trapped sediment, restore natural sediment transport, reestablish fish passage conditions, and improve ecosystem function; (2) restoring a confluence valley supporting a variety of habitats above Searsville Dam; (3) constructing channel improvements to facilitate fish passage conditions below Searsville Dam, through the proposed tunnel, and in restored creek channels upstream of the dam; (4) constructing sediment trapping, habitat improvement, and bank stabilization features on Corte Madera and San Francisquito Creeks between Searsville Dam and I-280; (5) relocating the existing point of diversion at Searsville Reservoir to the San Francisquito Creek Pump Station site and modifying the Pump Station to accommodate increased diversions to Felt Reservoir; and (6) constructing a new dam at Felt Reservoir and expanding that reservoir's design capacity to a total of 1,800 acre-feet.
Analysis
The City of East Palo Alto (City) is concerned about the potential adverse impacts of the proposed Project on the City of East Palo Alto. The City’s primary concerns are: (1) the potential increase in flooding in the City, as well as (2) sediment transport in the San Francisquito Creek (Creek) and how Stanford will remove sediment that is transported to the City.
The City requests that the Project team address the City comments as part of the conceptual design and Environmental Impact Report. The draft comments are included as Attachment 2 to this report. The City comments are consistent with the comments being prepared by the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (SFCJPA).
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact created by submitting the comment letter.
Public Notice
The public was provided notice by making the agenda and report available on the City’s website and on a bulletin board located at City Hall: 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
Environmental
The action being considered does not constitute a “Project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378 (b)(5), in that it is a government administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
Attachments
1. Searsville NOP
2. DRAFT EPA Searsville NOP Comments Letter