Our Infrastructure…an update
WATER WISDOM
Written By Robin Shepherd
Next to the air we breathe, nothing is more important to life than water.
The question is, are we giving it the attention it deserves?
COYOTE
PERCOLATION DAM
NASA photo of earth
(United States) from space
I
n November 2012, Californians
voted for Measure B: the Safe,
Clean Water and Natural Flood
Protection Program. The program
focuses on five priorities: ensuring a
safe, reliable water supply; reducing
toxins, hazards and contaminants in
our waterways; protecting our water
supply from the adverse effects of natural
disasters; restoring wildlife habitat and
providing open space; and providing
flood protection to homes, businesses,
schools and highways. Measure
B also committed us to a 15-year
special parcel tax.
In January 2018, Santa Clara Valley
Water District Chair Richard Santos
cast the water district’s vision, calling
this a “year of action.” Now in his
third term as Chair, Santos said the
District’s priorities are flood risk reduction,
emergency preparedness, community
engagement, and collaboration with
government agencies at all levels. Not
all of the Measure B priorities made it
on his short list.
Speaking on a theme of “resilience,”
Santos said, “The best way to be resilient
is to be prepared and to work together.”
So how does that translate into a year
of action? Let’s take a look.
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At the top of the water district’s list is
pursuing important flood protection
projects. The SCVWD facility along
Coyote Creek near Metcalf Road in
South San José serves to divert water
from the creek to replenish the local
groundwater aquifer.
Last winter’s storms created strong
creek flows that damaged the Coyote
Percolation Dam. By mid-October, the
District had expedited repairs, restoring
the dam to proper function in time
for winter. A new concrete apron was
installed, and pools adjacent to the fish
ladder were repaired to support fish
passage. The damaged stream banks were
repaired and buttressed with boulders.
Approximate cost of the repairs,
$670,000.
MAIN AVENUE and
MADRONE PIPELINE
SCVWD recently launched this project
in Morgan Hill. It calls for install ation of
nearly three miles of raw water pipeline
to meet South County’s groundwater
recharge demands. By definition, raw
water is water that hasn’t been filtered
or disinfected.
The new system will allow water from
Anderson Reservoir to flow to both the
Main Avenue Ponds and the Madrone
Channel, where it will percolate into the
groundwater aquifer, thus helping to
ensure a safe, reliable water supply for
South County residents.
Originally built in 1955, this section
of pipeline was rendered inoperable in
recent years due to root intrusion and
corrosion. These ponds are currently
refilled with imported water from the
San Luis Reservoir. Construction is
being done in three phases due to be
completed in July 2019.
To the extent that this project restores
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
APRIL/MAY 2018
existing infrastructure to refill the Llagas
groundwater basin, which stretches
across much of Morgan Hill, Gilroy,
and San Martin, it has the potential to
benefit South County residents for years
to come.
SOUTH COUNTY
RECYCLED WATER
PIPELINE PROJECT
Currently underway, this project is a
collaborative effort of the District, cities
of Gilroy and Morgan Hill, and the South
County Regional Wastewater Authority.
The goal is to increase the availability
of recycled water in South County by
roughly 50 percent, to 3,000 acre-feet per
year. The installation of the nearly 3-mile
pipeline will expand the use of recycled
water, currently used for agricultural and
industrial purposes, and will allow the
water district to conserve water supplies
including surface water.
CALIFORNIA
WATERFIX PROJECT
This $17.1 billion state-driven project
aims to improve water infrastructure in
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region
by digging twin tunnels under the Delta
to transport water to various points south
including the San Joaquin Valley and
Southern California urban areas.
According to the water district up
to 40 percent of the water Santa Clara
County uses annually comes through
the Delta (although Morgan Hill’s water
comes from the Llagas subbasin and the
Coyote Valley subarea). The Delta’s aging
levees are vulnerable to rising sea levels
and natural disasters and its fragile eco-
system has not fared all that well.
The water district’s board of directors
voted last October to participate in
California WaterFix, but with the
condition that it be a lower-cost, scaled-
down and phased project. The vote
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