BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Government Code § 84308 Applies: Yes ☐ No ☒
(If “YES” Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code § 84308)
SUBJECT:
Title
Adopt a Resolution Commemorating March 9-15, 2025, as Groundwater Awareness Week.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Adopt the resolution COMMEMORATING MARCH 9-15, 2025, AS GROUNDWATER AWARENESS WEEK.
Body
SUMMARY:
Groundwater Awareness Week is an annual observation of the importance of groundwater and is celebrated by the National Groundwater Association, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and other organizations advocating groundwater protection. A key Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) objective is to protect and augment Santa Clara County’s groundwater supplies. Valley Water’s comprehensive programs to sustain local groundwater are described in the Board-adopted 2021 Groundwater Management Plan, which was approved by the DWR in 2024 for continued compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
This year marks the 26th anniversary of Groundwater Awareness Week. Commemorating this week helps to raise awareness that although groundwater may be out of sight, it should not be out of mind. To increase community awareness of the importance of groundwater, Valley Water will share relevant information and tips on conserving and protecting groundwater through social media.
BACKGROUND:
Valley Water was formed in 1929 to address unsustainable groundwater pumping that resulted in adverse impacts including chronic overdraft, land subsidence, and sea water intrusion. Major Valley Water investments in reservoirs, recharge, and imported surface water addressed these issues and helped groundwater recover to sustainable levels. The protection and augmentation of groundwater remains as one of Valley Water’s central purposes, and comprehensive groundwater management ensures continued sustainability.
Nearly half the water used annually in Santa Clara County is pumped from groundwater by water retailers and thousands of private well owners. Because pumping consistently exceeds natural recharge, Valley Water replenishes groundwater with local and imported surface water through streams and recharge ponds. Valley Water also supplies treated water and conducts water conservation and water recycling programs. These efforts provide “in-lieu” recharge by reducing demands on groundwater.
In addition to being vulnerable to overdraft, groundwater is also threatened by contaminants from industrial spills, leaking underground fuel tanks, fertilizers, and other sources. Comprehensive monitoring, well construction/destruction programs, and coordination with land use and regulatory agencies helps minimize the risk of groundwater contamination and ensure groundwater remains a viable local resource now and in the future.
Valley Water’s groundwater management activities are funded largely through groundwater production charges. Groundwater management costs and benefits are documented each year in the District’s Water Utility Enterprise Protection and Augmentation of Water Supplies Report, which is prepared in February and posted to the Valley Water website at www.valleywater.org.
Groundwater continues to be an essential resource that helps ensure water supply reliability for Santa Clara County. Commemorating Groundwater Awareness Week by sharing information through social media will help raise community awareness of this precious resource.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY IMPACT:
There are no environmental justice and equity 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 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it does not have a potential for resulting in direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Resolution
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Greg Williams, 408-630-2867