Alviso Adobe, Salt Water Pond Get $330K in Grants

Updated: July 6 at 6:22 p.m.

Two grants totaling nearly $330,000 have been awarded to the city of Milpitas and an environmental nonprofit for water-related projects.

The grant program is part of the 2000 Measure B voter-approved bond, known as the Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection Plan, administered by an independent committee appointed by the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors.

is a public open-space project, which has a trail along the seasonal Arroyo de los Coches creek. The city of Milpitas will receive $77,000.

The location of the Alviso Adobe has a history where "during the Gold Rush it was one of the last stops for folks going into the Gold Country, or foothills of the Sierras," said Greg Armendariz, city engineer andpublic works director. "So there is an existing pathway that goes up Calaveras Road."

The seasonal creek flows through the Milpitas foothills, including Ed Levin County Park. Eventually, it joins Berryessa Creek in the city's flatlands.

The funds are for improvements to the trailhead, which includes a restroom, among others, said Armendariz.

The trail is just one component of the Alviso Adobe park. The Alviso Adobe building is the "crown jewel", he said. The exterior has been restored, but what remains unfunded is the interior, which is planned to be a museum. All together, the project costs $5.4 million, he said.

A larger grant went to  of A6, a conservation project in the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The Milpitas-based nonprofit, , will receive $259,787 to work in partnership with David Thomson for a year and a half. 

Executive Director Jill Demers said the project seeks to get more native plants into A6 as it transitions from salt pond to its natural state–through a technique called aerial reseeding. She expects endangered species California Clapper Rail bird and the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse to benefit from the return of Pickleweed and cordgrass.

Salt pond A6 is one piece of the largest tidal restoration effort on the West Coast, restoring the ponds back to their natural state as habitats for plants and wildlife. The levy of A6 (see map above) was breached in Dec. 7 of last year.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District board authorized the grant awards at its June 28 board meeting, following an extensive screening.

Proposals for all three programs were scored and ranked by review teams consisting of internal and external reviewers. Based on the rankings, district staff presented funding recommendations to the board of directors.

The district’s Environmental Advisory Committee, consisting of 15 volunteers, reviewed the panel’s recommendations and made its own recommendations to the board of directors.

"We're pretty pleased with the results of the outreach," said Marty Grimes, spokesman for the water district.

A total of $3.4 million in grants were awarded to water-related projects throughout the county, including Cupertino's  and 's Adobe Creek restoration.