BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Government Code § 84308 Applies: Yes ☐ No ☒
(If “YES” Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code § 84308)
SUBJECT: Title
Receive an Update on the Pure Water Silicon Valley Potable Reuse Project.
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RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board, and the City of San Jose Mayor and City Council,
A. Receive an update and provide feedback on the development of Pure Water Silicon Valley, a potable reuse project to ensure our community is more drought resilient; and
B. Refer further discussion to the Joint Recycled Water Policy Advisory Committee with the Cities of San Jose and Santa Clara
Body
SUMMARY:
Climate change makes our community more vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, including periods of long-term drought and more intense wet-weather events. In November 2025, Valley Water adopted its Water Supply Master Plan (WSMP) 2050 to ensure a reliable supply of potable water for our communities in the future. Investing in potable reuse was found to be an effective way to address projected shortages, particularly in drought periods.
In January 2023, Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) and the Cities of San Jose and Santa Clara (Cities) executed a Letter of Intent for Collaborating on the Expansion of Recycled and Purified Water in Santa Clara County (LOI). This collaboration involves leveraging the treated wastewater from the San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF) for potable reuse. The San Jose City Council and Valley Water Board last met on August 19, 2025, to reaffirm support for the Pure Water Silicon Valley (PWSV) direct potable reuse project collaboration. Specifically, the Board and Council affirmed the following:
• Support the development of a project charter and exclusive negotiation agreement as necessary initial steps to guide studies and negotiate the institutional agreements required for a full-scale advanced water purification facility.
• Support for coordinated public education and outreach programs to ensure the success of a DPR project.
• Support project updates twice a year or as needed to the Joint Recycled Water Policy Advisory Committee (JRWPAC).
This memorandum provides an update since the last joint meeting on August 19, 2025, and next steps.
ANALYSIS
In 2026, the City and City of Santa Clara (Cities) and Valley Water executed an Option Agreement to ensure that Valley Water’s Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) Demonstration Facility can be designed and constructed adjacent to the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center (SVAWPC) and an Exclusive Negotiations Agreement to reserve space for the proposed full-scale DPR facility. Staff funding agreements were amended to ensure continued funding for city staff to support the development of the project.
Valley Water is implementing this collaborative potable reuse project in two phases:
1. Demonstration Facility: Based on discussions with our technical experts and regulators, a demonstration facility will expedite a full-scale advanced water purification facility, reduce risks, and project costs for the full-scale facility.
2. Full-Scale Facility: A full-scale advance water purification facility to provide up to 24,000 acre-feet per year (AFY) of drought-resilient potable water supply.
Demonstration Facility
The demonstration facility will allow Valley Water to perform validation studies required for permitting a full-scale facility with the California Division of Drinking Water (DDW) to ensure that pathogens and chemicals are removed to meet stringent DPR standards. In addition, the facility will help evaluate new technologies and train operators, and a pure water learning center which will be built next to the SVAWPC will provide public education and outreach to ensure public support for the project.
On June 9, 2026, the Valley Water Board (Board) approved an agreement with AECOM Technical Services for a not-to-exceed amount of $4,499,917. The agreement includes design and bid award services for the Pure Water Silicon Valley Demonstration Facility Project, which is comprised of a 200 gallons per minute (gpm) DPR Pilot Treatment Facility inside the SVAWPC site and a new two-acre state-of-the-art Learning Center complex adjacent to the purification center. The design for the pilot is expected to be completed by April 2027.
Procurement efforts for the exhibits in the Learning Center are ongoing. A Technical Advisory Group, which includes City staff, is assisting Valley Water in developing this procurement.
Valley Water staff have also engaged with the State Water Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW) to develop a testing plan for the demonstration facility and a regulatory roadmap for developing future permit applications for the full-scale facility. The total cost of the demonstration facility is estimated at $100 million.
Full-Scale Facility
Valley Water included the full-scale project in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) at a cost of $2.45 billion. Valley Water and City staff are developing the framework for the necessary agreements required for a full-scale purification facility. The framework articulates the shared vision and addresses the main topics that the new agreements will need to develop including treated wastewater quality and quantity, facility pretreatment, reverse osmosis concentrate management, and source control. This charter framework will be shared with the JRWPAC later in October.
In parallel, the Cities are in conversation with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) regarding the December 31, 2028, deadline for addressing the status of the currently interruptible potable water supplies. Consequently, Valley Water and the Cities are working together with SFPUC to find a win-win solution for both Cities and SFPUC with PWSV. Staff from Valley Water held a workshop with staff from the SFPUC to discuss developing a partnership for the Pure Water Silicon Valley project on September 25, 2024. The outcome from the workshop was all agencies are interested in partnering on an advanced purified water project. A follow up workshop is being scheduled for November 2026.
Work on the long-term agreements for the full-scale advanced water purification facility has begun focusing on Reverse Osmosis Concentrate management as well as terms for source water supply from RWF.
Grants and Feasibility Study
Valley Water and City staff are developing a United States Bureau of Reclamation grant funded project feasibility study for Pure Water Silicon Valley. Preparation of a feasibility study is a prerequisite for obtaining federal design and construction grants in the future with the Cities and Valley Water committed to work together on its development.
Separately, Valley Water is working on a grant agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a Community Project Funding award of $1,092,000 for planning the Demonstration Facility. U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17) secured this award in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations.
An additional effort is underway, with $2,203,950 in funding awarded to Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA) from an EPA Region 9 Office of Water Grant evaluate the feasibility of utilizing nature-based solutions as a long-term strategy to treat Reverse Osmosis Concentrate (ROC). This collaborative study by the City of San Jose and Valley Water is conducted in partnership with the Bay Area Clean Water Agency (BACWA), San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP), and U.C. Berkeley.
Outreach
Public concerns over climate change and support for a resilient, sustainable water supply has been consistent since 2015. Valley Water continues outreach via public education and monitors the public pulse through public perception polls.
Tours of the existing SVAWPC have been in place since 2014 and are used to educate the public about potable reuse. In 2025, 1,521 people toured the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center.
A countywide poll was implemented by EMC Research, Inc. in July 2026 to collect data on public perception toward water reuse. The 2026 public perception poll included questions relating specifically to the Pure Water Silicon Valley Project.
Key takeaways from the poll included:
• While county residents are divided about the basic concept of “adding purified recycled water to the drinking water supply in Santa Clara County,” a majority support the PWSV project after a brief description.
• Support for the project is particularly strong among residents under 30 and those who rate the taste and safety of their current tap water positively.
• Support increases after information is presented about the safety, benefits, and need for the project, and a majority remain supportive even after an opposition statement.
• The attributes residents most commonly associate with PWSV are sustainable and forward-thinking. However, opinions are mixed: some view the project as unappealing, expensive, and risky, while many see it as necessary.
• Top communications themes about the PWSV project include the need for a reliable, drought-resistant water source, the successful implementation of similar projects in other areas, and that the purification processes remove forever chemicals and other contaminants.
• Because several questions were worded differently this year, comparisons with earlier surveys are not always direct, which may explain some of the observed differences. At the same time, broader changes in public opinion since the last survey-including growing distrust in government-have likely influenced views across a range of issues.
City and Valley Water staff are coordinating collaborative outreach opportunities to ensure public support for the project. Furthermore, a Learning Center will be constructed as a destination where diverse visitors can learn about the wastewater process and the importance and safety of purified water. The Learning Center will provide physical spaces for education events and/or technical studies, as well as present opportunities for community members, elected officials, and other stakeholders to raise awareness and promote the importance of water reuse.
The Learning Center is a particularly significant investment to strengthen public support for direct potable reuse. The Learning Center, currently scheduled for construction in 2028 and opening in 2031, will be used to educate the public, including a target audience of students as young as 5th grade, on recycled water and purified water and the importance of these sustainable resources for Santa Clara County’s water portfolio. To solidify support for purified water, the Learning Center will offer tours and the opportunity for each visitor to taste the purified water.
Next Steps and Discussion Points
Staff requests direction and guidance from the Valley Water Board and San Jose City Council to ensure development of win-win solutions that meet the Cities’ and Valley Water’s needs:
• Support the development of needed agreements to implement the full-scale PWSV project
• Support for coordinated public education and outreach programs to ensure the success of a Direct Potable Reuse project.
• Support project updates twice a year or as needed to JRWPAC.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IMPACT:
There are no environmental justice impacts associated with this item.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with this item.
CEQA:
The recommended action does not constitute a project under CEQA because it does not have potential for resulting in direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: PowerPoint
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER: Manager
Kirsten Struve, 408-630-3138
Eric Dunlavey, 408-635-4017