COMMITTEE AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Water Supply and Demand Management Committee
Government Code ? 84308 Applies: Yes ? No ?
(If "YES" Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code ? 84308)
SUBJECT: title
Receive an Update on Valley Water's South County Managed Aquifer Recharge Activities Including the Optimization Study for the San Pedro Ponds Groundwater Recharge Facility.
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RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
Receive an Update on Valley Water's South County Managed Aquifer Recharge Activities Including the Optimization Study for the San Pedro Ponds Groundwater Recharge Facility.
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SUMMARY:
Managed aquifer recharge continues to be essential for groundwater sustainability throughout Santa Clara County, but particularly in South County where local communities depend almost entirely on groundwater. Valley Water's managed recharge using local and imported surface water helps balance groundwater pumping, and long-term planning helps ensure continued reliability far into the future. This memorandum goes over Valley Water's South County recharge program, describes the four recharge projects that are being evaluated as part of the Water Supply Master Plan 2050, and elaborates on the pre-planning study that was conducted at one of these four sites-the San Pedro Ponds in Morgan Hill.
Background
For many decades, the amount of groundwater pumped in Santa Clara County has exceeded what is replenished naturally by rainfall or other sources. To ensure local groundwater supplies are sustainable, Valley Water augments natural groundwater recharge through the managed recharge of local and imported surface water. Water conservation and recycling programs as well as treated water deliveries (North County only) also protect groundwater supplies by reducing the need for groundwater pumping.
Each year, Valley Water determines optimal water supply operations, including managed recharge, based on available water supplies, projections of groundwater pumping locally, and maintenance s...
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