C1: Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit* About This Project Anderson Reservoir is currently limited to about 52% of its capacity due to seismic concerns, costing Santa Clara County valuable drinking water resources. This project covers earthquake retrofitting of Anderson Dam to improve reliability and safety, and returns the reservoir to its original storage capacity. Anderson Dam creates the county’s largest surface water reservoir—Anderson Reservoir— which stores local rainfall runoff and imported water from the Central Valley Project. The reservoir is an important water source for treatment plants and the recharge of the groundwater basin. Besides restoring drinking water supplies, the upgrade also supports compliance with environmental regulations. The District’s regular reservoir releases ensure that downstream habitat has healthy flows and temperatures to sustain wildlife. A breach of Anderson Dam at full capacity could have catastrophic consequences, including inundation of surrounding land more than 30 miles northwest to San Francisco Bay, and more than 40 miles southeast to Monterey Bay. In December 2016, the board was informed by the district that findings from the geotechnical and geologic investigations performed during the project’s design phase led to the conclusion that a more extensive dam retrofit than had originally been envisioned would have to be performed. Further, the Board was informed that the more extensive retrofit work would double the previous project’s estimated cost. The district presented the Board with a water supply cost-benefit analysis that showed the benefits of the more extensive retrofit project significantly outweighed the cost of not proceeding with the retrofit, which would require the district to purchase additional imported water every year to make up for the loss of long-term storage at Anderson Reservoir. Based upon this information and analysis, the board directed the district to continue work on this critical infrastructure project. Rinconada Water Treatment Plant Reliability Improvement About This Project The Reliability Improvement Project is aimed at retrofitting, upgrading and/or replacing key equipment that is reaching the end of its natural life, addressing the areas of raw water ozone, flocculation and sedimentation, filtration and redundant disinfection. The work will also increase the plant’s treatment capacity from 80 million gallons of water a day to 100 million gallons a day and help the district meet increasingly stringent standards for water quality, seismic stability and safety. E7: San Francisco Bay Shoreline Protection* About This Project This project is a partnership with the California State Coastal Conservancy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and regional stakeholders to provide tidal flood protection, restore and enhance tidal marsh and related habitats, and provide recreational and public access opportunities. Initial construction for flood protection is planned for Economic Impact Area (EIA) 11, which is the urban areaof North San José and the community of Alviso. This project relies on federal participation from USACE to review and approve the plans. Without federal participation, the District cannot implement additional planning, design and construction due to limited available funding. The proposed Safe, Clean Water funding provides the District’s cost share to complete the planning study for EIAs 1-10, and provides a portion of the District’s cost share toward design and construction of flood protection improvements in the North San José area (EIA 11), in and near Alviso. Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project A 21st Century Solution Delivering Sustainable Benefits for All of Us 7/24/18 Update: Statement from Chair Richard P. Santos on $485 Million Funding Award for the Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project CLEAN AND SAFE WATER -- FLOOD RISK REDUCTION -- FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE Our communities are all impacted by severe water challenges. Climate change, a growing population, and an aging water infrastructure all challenge our water reliability. More than ever before, our economy and communities need a 21st century solution to growing water needs. The Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project is a modern solution to the age-old challenges of providing a sustainable water supply for our expanding population and businesses. Studied and vetted extensively for over ten years, this project will reduce the frequency and severity of water shortages, provide flood protection for disadvantaged communities, as well as protect and grow the native steelhead population. Join our efforts to bring this game changing project to fruition. There is much to like in the Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project as it delivers on the promises that earned a “Yes” vote for Prop. 1 by nearly three of every four San Benito and Santa Clara county voters in 2014. California WaterFix Content May 3, 2018: Water district board to take up California WaterFix May 8 On Oct. 17, 2017 the Santa Clara Valley Water District voted to participate in the California WaterFix project, the state’s proposed plan to improve the infrastructure that carries water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The participation is conditional, based on seven guiding principles listed below. The water district will now work with the state and water agency partners in support of a lower-cost, scaled-down, and staged project that meets the needs of Silicon Valley. As much as 40 percent of the water Santa Clara County uses each year comes through the Delta. But the Delta’s aging network of earthen levees faces risks from rising seas, earthquakes and flooding, while the declining conditions for fish and wildlife have led regulators to put more restrictions on when water can move through the Delta. “Conditions in the Delta threaten our future water supply,” said Board Chair John L. Varela. “Today, in a 7 to 0 vote, the Board of Directors took action to help our area continue to thrive by protecting Santa Clara Valley’s water supply. I commend my fellow board members for having the courage to stand up for what’s right for the people and businesses of Santa Clara County.” Over the last several years, the board has held dozens of workshops and presentations on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and California WaterFix projects to hear updates and consider diverse perspectives. The importance of input is even ensconced in one of the principles the board adopted Tuesday to guide the water district’s participation in the project. The principles are: 1. Santa Clara County needs are the primary drivers in all our decisions involving the WaterFix project. 2. We will not allow Silicon Valley values and priorities to be placed at a disadvantage relative to Central Valley Agriculture or Southern California. 3. We are advocating for a flexible approach that addresses Silicon Valley stakeholder and community input. 4. As water is a human right, we must make investments to make sure our water supply meets future needs at a cost affordable by everyone. 5. Equity and costs are important. 6. Any final arrangement must provide flexibility to acquire supplemental water by taking advantage of future wet years to ensure residents have a reliable water supply, no matter what extreme weather the changing climate brings. 7. Keep negotiating for the best deal for Santa Clara County. Video of the discussion and the board’s action are available online. State Water Project Content The State Water Project is just one of the sources of water supply the district uses to deliver the water that comes out of your faucet. To reach many of us, water must travel long distances through complex delivery systems such as the California State Water Project (SWP). The SWP is the nation's largest state-built water and power development and conveyance system. The SWP is a system of reservoirs, aqueducts, power plants and pumping plants. Its main purpose is to store water and distribute it to urban and agricultural water suppliers in Northern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. Approximately 70 percent of the contracted water supply goes to urban users and 30 percent goes to agricultural users. Other purposes of the SWP are to improve water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, control Feather River flood waters, provide recreation, and enhance fish and wildlife. Today, the SWP includes 34 storage facilities, reservoirs and lakes; 20 pumping plants; 4 pumping-generating plants; 5 hydroelectric power plants; and about 700 miles of open canals and pipelines. Planned, designed, constructed and now operated and maintained by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), this unique facility provides water supplies for 25 million Californians and more than 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland. In 1965 the SWP began delivering water to Santa Clara County. SWP water comes from Oroville Reservoir on the Feather River and flows through the Delta to Clifton Court Forebay, located in the southern Delta. Water is then pumped at the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant to Bethany Reservoir. From there, it is pumped at the South Bay Pumping Plant into the South Bay Aqueduct, regulated at Del Valle Reservoir if appropriate, and delivered at the northern end of Santa Clara County to the terminal tank at Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Penitencia Water Treatment Plant. The district has a contract for 100,000 acre-feet per year of water from the SWP. (One acre-foot is approximately the amount of water used by two families of five in one year.) Each year, water agencies that have contracts with the SWP are allocated a percentage of their contract amount depending on the amount of rain and snow, regulatory restrictions to protect fish and water quality, as well as other factors. Between the years 2000 and 2015 the District has only received 100% of its contract amount in one year, 2006. The District’s long-term average SWP supply is estimated to be about 60,000 AF of water from the SWP annually.