COMMITTEE AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Recycled Water Committee
Government Code § 84308 Applies: Yes ☐ No ☒
(If “YES” Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code § 84308)
SUBJECT: title
Receive an Update and Provide Feedback on South Santa Clara County Water Reuse Collaboration and Projects and Plans.
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RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
Receive an update and provide feedback on South Santa Clara County water reuse collaboration and projects and plans.
Body
SUMMARY:
Since 1999, the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water), the South County Regional Wastewater Authority (SCRWA), the City of Gilroy, and the City of Morgan Hill have collaborated to support non-potable water reuse in South Santa Clara County (South County). In 2017, the Board of Directors established the Joint Water Resources Committee (JWRC) with the Cities of Gilroy and Morgan Hill to advance purified and recycled water reuse in South County and identify future funding opportunities for water reuse implementation. The Recycled Water Committee received a South County water reuse collaboration update in February 2026. The JWRC received an update in October 2025 and will receive its next update in April 2026.
Feasibility Study Update
Valley Water has continued working on the South County Recycled Water System Feasibility Study (Study) funded by a 2023 United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) planning grant. The Study will support grant applications for the future design and construction of water reuse projects under the USBR Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program. Staff have continued to assemble data and engineering information, discussed options and opportunities with our South County partners, and finalized a list of preferred reuse options for prioritization. Staff will present recommendations for both preferred and alternative project scenarios that provide the foundation to complete the Study.
South County Recycled Water Pipeline
The Southern Recycled Water Pipeline Alignment (Southern Pipeline Alignment) was recommended in the 2004 Master Plan and confirmed in the 2015 Master Plan Update. Since 2015, Valley Water has implemented several interagency agreements with the City of Gilroy to construct portions of the Southern Pipeline Alignment as developers have expanded neighborhoods in the Glen Loma Development. Staff will present an update of discussions with the City of Gilroy to develop an interagency agreement to construct the last pipeline segment (approximately 800 feet in length) and complete the Southern Pipeline Alignment.
In 2024, Valley Water completed the South County Recycled Water Pipeline Project that completed a major portion of the Southern Pipeline Alignment, except for one pipeline segment (Phase 1C) that would bridge the southern system to the existing Northern Pipeline Alignment. In 2025, Valley Water obtained construction services to complete this critical pipeline segment that will support a future Amazon data center using non-potable recycled water. Staff will provide a project update on pipeline construction that will increase system capabilities and support recycled water use for a future Amazon data center project. Staff will also present discussions with the City of Gilroy to expand system conveyance and storage to provide service to the Amazon project at no cost to Valley Water.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IMPACT:
There are no environmental justice impacts associated with this item.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: PowerPoint
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Kirsten Struve, 408-630-3138