By Khalida Sarwari
Students at West Valley College will notice a flurry of activity beginning next summer, when the college embarks on a project to restore the 20-acre riparian corridor of Vasona Creek that bisects the campus.
The project aims to restore the creek to its pre-1850s condition and renew a degraded wetland area near where the creek enters the college property. A second component is the mitigation of untreated and polluted stormwater runoff that feeds into the creek from the large college parking lots, streets and buildings. Additionally, WVC is collaborating with the city’s trails advisory committee to develop a master plan to provide greater public access to the creek.
Once the project is complete, Vasona Creek will be transformed into a vibrant natural ecosystem, a living laboratory and classroom, and a recreational resource that everyone can benefit from, said Bill Taylor, facilities manager at West Valley College.
“We can turn this creek into an educational system for the whole campus and others to enjoy,” Taylor said. “Right now people walk by it; it’s so overgrown. We’ll open it up to make it a usable part of the campus for educational pursuits for our academic program as well as the community.”
The plan, said Taylor, is to involve students from various disciplines, including those in biology and the park management program. The students in the latter, for example, will assist with trail clearing and building as well as the removal of invasive species.
Thus far, WVC has secured about $600,000 in grant funding from the Santa Clara Valley Water District and $1.5 million from the Measure C bond, passed by voters this year. Those funds, specifically, will go toward the repair of a small section of creek channel, the expansion and improvement of an existing wetland, the installation of native plants, trees and shrubs throughout the creek area, a conceptual plan to 30 percent design for three future stormwater management projects and for a creek trail system connecting to the city’s Heritage Trail.
The college is applying for additional grant money to complete this multi-phase, ongoing project.
“We’re about 75 percent funded with bonds and grants. We need more,” Taylor said. “We need about $1 million to complete the construction projects and as leverage for additional grants.”
The college held a workshop Dec. 12 to introduce the project and solicit input from the Saratoga community, with speakers from the college and consultants specializing in creek and native plant restoration. Additional community meetings will be held in February, according to Taylor.
For more information about the Vasona Creek project, visit west valley.edu/creek.
