BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Overview of Current/Future Water Supply Planning Efforts, the District's Capital Improvement Program, and the Wholesale Rate-Setting Process.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That the District Board and Sunnyvale City Council receive information on the District's Capital Improvement Program, current and future water supply planning efforts, and the wholesale rate-setting process.
Body
SUMMARY:
The Santa Clara Valley Water District (District) serves all of Santa Clara County, providing groundwater management, wholesale water supply, flood protection, and stream stewardship services. The District was originally formed in 1929 to manage groundwater in response to groundwater overdraft and land subsidence. Maintaining groundwater supplies and avoiding land subsidence continue to be the core function of the water supply program.
Originally, the County relied solely on local runoff patterns and natural recharge. However, these were insufficient to maintain groundwater levels. Between the 1930s and 1950s, the District constructed 10 dams to store winter rains for use later in the year. Initially, these efforts were sufficient. However, the post-World War II development boom increased demands, and local supplies were no longer sufficient to meet the County's needs. The District began importing water in the 1960s, first from the State Water Project through the South Bay Aqueduct from the north and then from the federal Central Valley Project via San Luis Reservoir in the 1980s.
The District expanded water conservation and recycled and purified water programs in the 1990s in response to a prolonged drought and continued increases in water demands. The District implements nearly 20 different ongoing water conservation programs that use a mix of incentives and rebates, free device installation, one-on-one home visits, site surveys, and educational outreach to reduce water consumption in homes, businesses and agr...
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