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District Overview

The Santa Clara Water District is the largest pumped, causing the land to subside, or sink. The multi-purpose water supply, watershed stewardship committee pursued creation of an organization to and flood management special district in . manage and replenish groundwater supplies, and The District serves nearly two million people in Santa the resulting Water Conservation Clara County by providing a reliable and safe supply District later constructed reservoirs throughout the of water; enhancing streams and watersheds through county to conserve water. The 1929 Santa Clara creek restoration and habitat protection; providing Valley Water District Act gives the District its authority flood protection for homes, schools and businesses; to operate as a state special district, with jurisdiction and partnering with other agencies to throughout Santa Clara County. provide trails, parks and open space for community recreation. The District Act authorizes the District to: “...provide comprehensive water The water district’s unique multi- management for all beneficial uses and purposes enable it to use a protection from flooding within Santa comprehensive regional approach Clara County. The District may take to water resources management and action to carry out all of the following environmental protection that would purposes: not be possible if these services were Our mission fragmented among several agencies. is to provide (a) to protect Santa Clara County from Valley flood and storm waters of the district, As the primary water resources safe, clean including tidal flood waters and the flood agency for Santa Clara County, the water for a and storm waters of streams that have water district encompasses all of the healthy life, their sources outside the district, but flow county’s 1,300 square miles and environment, into the district; serves the area’s 15 cities: Campbell, and economy. Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos (b) to protect from those flood or Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte storm waters the public highways, life Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, and property in the district, and the Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and watercourses and watersheds of streams flowing within Sunnyvale. The District also serves the unincorporated the district; areas of the county. (c) to provide for the conservation and management Collaboration with the community we serve is not only of flood, storm, reclaimed, or recycled waters, or a key value but has proven to result in more successful other waters from any sources within or outside the outcomes. By seeking public input, the District is watershed in which the district is located for beneficial respecting the fact that our operations and projects and useful purposes, including spreading, storing, have a direct impact on people’s lives. retaining, and causing the waters to percolate intothe soil within the district; Community action created the District, when farmers and business representatives formed the Santa Clara (d) to protect, save, store, recycle, distribute, transfer, Valley Water Conservation Committee in the 1920s. exchange, manage, and conserve in any manner any At that time, groundwater supplies were being over of the waters;

2016/2017 Operating and Capital Budget 2-1 District Overview

(e) to increase, and prevent the waste or diminution of, Governance and Board of Directors the water supply in the district; The District Act outlines the structure, function and operations of the District’s Board of Directors, which (f) to obtain, retain, reclaim, protect, and recycle governs the District and directs the Board Appointed drainage, storm, flood waters or treated wastewaters, Officers. The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of or other waters from any sources, within or outside Directors is comprised of seven members each elected the watershed in which the district is located for any from equally-divided districts drawn through a formal beneficial uses within the district; process. The purpose of the Board, on behalf of Santa Clara County, is to provide safe, clean (g) and to enhance, protect, and restore streams, water for a healthy life, environment and economy. The riparian corridors, and natural resources in connection directors serve overlapping four-year terms, a structure with carrying out the objects and purposes set forth in created pursuant to the adoption of the District Act. this section.” Elections are held in November of even number years.

Evolution of the Santa Clara Valley Water District 1929 1954 1968 1987 Formation of county’s Annexation of Merger with Merger with rst water district Central district countywide district Gavilan district

Santa Clara Valley Water District (as named in 1974) • Advanced county’s flood Santa Clara Valley protection program Water Conservation District • Built Penitencia and Santa • Formed in 1929 to serve Teresa water treatment the more populated Central Santa Clara Valley plants northern valley Water Conservation District • Negotiated imported water • Built eight reservoirs • Formed in 1949 supply from federal • Built sack dams and Santa Clara County Flood • Built recharge ponds Control and Water recharge ponds • Expanded mission to Conservation District include environmental (as named in 1974) stewardship South Santa Clara Valley • Formed in 1952 • In 2006, the District Water Conservation District becomes an independent • Started county’s flood (renamed Gavilan special district with protection program Water District in 1980) removal of County’s • Negotiated imported • Formed in 1983 oversight of the District’s water supply from State budget Water Project (SWP) • Built two reservoirs • Built Rinconada Water • Built recharge ponds Treatment Plant to process SWP raw water

Today’s Santa Clara Valley Water District is the result of the consolidation of four agencies over time, as shown above. The water district’s products and services have grown along with its increased levels of responsibility for critical water resource and environmental management functions.

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The Board elects a new chair and vice-chair annually in implement programs and projects that achieve the January. Board’s Ends policies.

The Board sets direction for the District through its In meeting the Board’s Ends policies, the CEO policy governance structure. Through adopted policies, and other Board Appointed Officers (BAOs) are the Board determines the District’s mission and goals solely accountable to the Board for organizational and outcomes to be achieved for the good of the performance, which is monitored quarterly. The Board public. Specifically, the Board’s Ends policies are the annually reviews and updates Ends and Executive outcomes expected to be achieved by the organization Limitations policies to ensure they reflect the Board’s for its customers. These include ensuring a safe, reliable collective values and perspectives. The Board’s Policies source of water; flood protection; and environmental can be viewed at http://www.valleywater.org/About/ stewardship. The CEO dedicates resources to BoardPolicies.aspx

Board directorial districts

San Francisco Bay Milpitas Palo Alto

Mountain View District Los Altos Sunnyvale 3 District District 7 Santa Clara 6 Cupertino District District 2 San Jose 5 Saratoga District District Saratoga 4 1 Monte Sereno Los Gatos

Morgan Hill

To San Luis Reservoir

Gilroy

PACIFIC OCEAN

To

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For 80 years, the water district has improved and expanded its products and services to meet the History Timeline growing needs of Santa Clara County residents

Increased growth shifts county’s water use from primarily agricultural to Explosive post-war domestic and industrial. The South population growth. Santa Clara Valley Water Conservation District builds the Chesbro and Uvas Concern over land 1940-46: dams. subsidence from Major drought. overpumping the Land subsidence The Central Santa Clara Valley Water groundwater basin Calero, Almaden, worsens in north Conservation District is annexed to the leads farmers and Guadalupe, San Jose due to Santa Clara Valley Water Conservation business leaders Vasona, Stevens overpumping. District. Water conservation education to push for the Creek and Voters pass begins in earnest. formation of the Coyote reservoirs construction bonds Santa Clara Valley are completed. for Lexington and 1952: The County Board of Supervisors Nearly 14,000 Water Conservation Recharging of Anderson dams for forms the Santa Clara County Flood acres of orchards Committee. the underground water storage and Control and Water Conservation District and vineyards are aquifers begins. percolation. to protect the county from flooding under irrigation in 1929: The Santa and supplement local water supply Santa Clara Valley. Clara Valley Water 1931, 1937 and 1940, 1942 and with imported water. The “Christmas Local farmers Conservation 1938: Floods 1943: Floods Week” floods of 1955 leave thousands begin noticing a District is formed occur in the midst occur in the midst homeless. The Guadalupe River alone significant drop in by the State of drought and of drought and floods 8,300 acres, the worst flood on well water levels. Legislature. land subsidence. land subsidence. that river in recorded history.

Early 1900s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s

1960s 1970s

1960: The county’s population swells to 642,000. The Santa Clara Valley Flood Control and Water District changes its name to the Santa Clara Valley Water 1962: President John F. Kennedy and Gov. Edmund G. District. Penitencia Water Treatment Plant comes on line. “Pat” Brown dedicate the and Reservoir west of Los Baños. 1976-77: Historic drought years reduce deliveries from the State Water Project; Delta water is too salty 1965: TThe state of California begins delivering water to be percolated into local aquifers, but is still used by from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Santa the treatment plants. Conservation efforts achieve a 22 Clara County via the South Bay Aqueduct. Slowly, the percent drop in water usage. addition of imported water to recharge efforts begins to reverse land subsidence; by 1969 it is halted for the first time in 40 years. Rinconada Water Treatment Plant begins drinking water treatment and distribution operations in Los Gatos.

1968: The Santa Clara Valley Water Conservation District and the Santa Clara County Flood Control and Water Conservation District merge to manage water supply and flood programs for most of the county.

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The county’s population nears 1.7 million. The 1987-93 drought drives the District to seek new sources of water through recycling, water banking and Environmental mitigation for project impacts becomes a aggressive water conservation. normal part of every construction project. Underground storage tanks are discovered leaking and potentially 1995: Flooding in the county highlights the need for contaminating drinking water. The Santa Teresa Water flood protection, especially on the Guadalupe River in Treatment Plant begins operation. Severe flooding . occurs; voters approve funding for much-needed flood protection projects through benefit assessments. 1997: The District completes the IWRP long-term water supply planning process and initiates the Water 1980: The South Santa Clara Valley Water Treatment Improvement Project (WTIP) to address Conservation District is renamed the Gavilan Water increasingly stringent state and federal water quality District. standards.

1987: South county voters approve annexing Gavilan 1998: Flooding occurs on San Francisquito Creek and Water District to the Santa Clara Valley Water District. in the county. Changing community priorities, a growing The federal Central Valley Project, San Felipe Division, commitment to staff diversity, strict state and federal begins delivery of imported water to the county from regulations and an evolving environmental ethic lead San Luis Reservoir just as the valley enters a seven-year the District into the 21st Century. drought period.

1980s 1990s

2000-16

The District takes a lead role in the fight against MTBE water 2009: District Board calls for 15% mandatory conservation in contamination, addresses perchlorate contamination of more than response to continuing water shortage; recession drives significant 1000 South County well and partners with local wastewater agencies District budget reductions. to increase recycling. The first phase of the WTIP is completed and the second phase launched. 2010: District Board continues call for 15% mandatory conservation. District implements protest procedure in accordance with proposition 2000: County voters endorse the Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural 218. New Board directorial boundaries are drawn. Directorial Flood Protection Plan (Measure B) and approve a special tax to boundaries changed from five to seven. ensure continuity of flood protection and stream stewardship services for 15 more years. 2012: County voters endorse the Safe, Clean Water (Measure B) and approve a special tax to ensure continuity of flood protection, 2005: The 15-year, $346 million Downtown Guadalupe Flood dam maintenance and stream stewardship services for 15 more years. Protection Project is completed, protecting an estimated 95,000 people from flooding and restoring critical endangered species 2014: The Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center is habitat. completed, producing 8 million gallons a day of purified recycled water to enhance the quality of recycled “purple pipe” water used for 2006: Santa Teresa Water Treatment Plant delivers non-potable purposes and demonstrating technologies that can be the District’s first ozonated water, providing customers better-tasting, used to purify water to augment drinking water supplies. more healthful tap water. 2015 and 2016: : With the continuing severe drought, the District’s 2007: Assembly Bill 2435 passes, ending county oversight of the imported water allocations are at record lows. For the first time, the District’s budget and other procedural holdovers from the 1968 Board called for mandatory water use reductions of 30% in 2015 and merger. Penitencia Water Treatment Plant begins delivering ozonated continues the target throughout 2016. water to customers.

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Board Advisory Committees Water Safe, Clean Water builds on the success of Per the District Act, the Board may create Advisory the Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection Committees to serve at the pleasure of the Board. (Clean, Safe Creeks) plan approved by the voters in Accordingly, the Board has three Advisory Committees 2000. Safe, Clean Water replaces the Clean, Safe to prepare policy alternatives and to comment on the Creeks measure in its entirety beginning July 1, 2013. implementation of the District’s mission. The program is funded by a combination of revenues from the continuation of an annual special tax, reserves The Advisory Committees, serving the Board on the from unspent funds of the Clean, Safe Creeks plan, and following issues, are: state and federal funding. The program includes a debt • Agricultural Water: agricultural water supply and financing component that will help fund capital projects use as well as groundwater production charges earlier in the program. Program funds will be used to • Environmental and Water Resources: water meet remaining Clean, Safe Creeks plan commitments supply, flood protection, and environmental and to fulfill the community projects listed above. stewardship. • Santa Clara Valley Water Commission: Independent Monitoring Committee water supply, flood protection, and environmental To ensure accountability to the voters, the ballot stewardship. measure also created an Independent Monitoring Committee, appointed by the Santa Clara Valley For more information regarding the Board’s Advisory Water District Board of Directors. The Independent Committees, please visit: http://www.valleywater.org Monitoring Committee annually reviews the About/BoardCommittees.aspx implementation of the intended results of the program and reports its findings to the Board, which makes Meeting our Safe, Clean Water commitments the Committee report available to the residents and In 2012, Santa Clara County voters approved the Safe, voters of Santa Clara County. Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection (Safe, Clean Water) special parcel tax to fund projects addressing For a detailed description of the committee’s charge the following community priorities: and processes please follow the link below: • Ensuring safe reliable water for the future; http://www.valleywater.org/SCWIMC.aspx • Reducing toxins, hazards and contaminants in our waterways; • Protecting water supply and local dams from the impacts of earthquakes and natural disasters; • Restoring fish, bird, and wildlife habitat; and • Providing flood protection to homes, businesses, schools, streets and highways.

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Water Retailers Committee more in-depth information and discussion forums for the The Water Retailers Committee is a staff-level committee committee. Through these efforts, the District is able to stay that facilitates communication between the District and attuned to the retailers’ needs and coordinate joint efforts. retail water agencies in the county. Retailers Committee members are comprised of water retailer agency staff For information regarding the Water Retailers, please who select a committee chair. Subcommittees on water visit: http://www.valleywater.org/EkContent.aspx?id= supply and quality, finance, water conservation and 182&terms=water+retailers emergency preparedness, to name a few, provide

ISO Certified Quality and Environmental Management System The certification of the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s operations to the internationally-recognized International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, demonstrates our commitment to continual improvement, customer satisfaction, delivery of quality programs and services to the community, and operating in an environmentally responsible manner.

ISO is the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards, which are state of the art specifications for products, services, and good practices, helping make industry more efficient and effective.

The water district has an extensive history of ISO commitment and experience, having first been registered to ISO 9001 in 2002 for quality management systems and to ISO 14001 in 2004 for environmental management systems.

Our integrated quality and environmental management system is currently certified to ISO 9001:2008 standards for quality products and services and to ISO 14001:2004 standards for environmental protection through pollution prevention.

ISO certification validates that our processes continue to be effectively implemented by our employees to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and produce consistent results for our customers.

We believe that maintaining ISO certification is important because it reinforces our focus on quality, customer satisfaction, and continual improvement; a reflection of Silicon Valley’s culture of innovation and excellent customer experience.

Note: The ISO standard clause numbers for both Quality and Environmental Management Systems are cross-referenced in italics.

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Major water utility zones of benefit in Santa Clara County As part of the District’s core water supply function, two major water utility

SF BAY zones form the basis for establishing District water charges. Zone W-2 encompasses the Santa Clara Valley groundwater basin north of Metcalf Road. It includes those groundwater

ZONE W-2 producing facilities that benefit from recharge with local and imported water. Zone W-5 comprises the entire Llagas groundwater basin from Metcalf Road south to the . Water charges are set separately for each zone, reflecting District activities carried out in each.

ZONE W-5

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Watershed areas and flood control zones of Santa Clara County More than 800 miles of creeks flow 84 SF BAY through Santa Clara County. The District works to protect both the natural attributes of these waterways and the communities that surround them as FLOWS TO ALAMEDA COUNTY part of its watershed stewardship core function. Fifty-one years of working for LOWER PENINSULA flood protection has reduced the intensity WATERSHED (Northwest Zone) and frequency of flooding in Santa Clara County. WATERSHED COYOTE (North Central Zone) WATERSHED GUADALUPE (East Zone) WATERSHED (Central Zone)

17 UVAS/LLAGAS WATERSHED (South Zone)

PACIFIC OCEAN

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