BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:Title
Consider the March 23, 2022, Request from the Recycled Water Committee to Provide Information to the Board of Directors on Desalination as a Potential Water Supply in Santa Clara County, and Approve the Inclusion of Desalination to the 2022 Recycled Water Committee Work Plan.
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RECOMMENDATION:Recommendation
A. Receive information on desalination as a potential water supply in Santa Clara County; and
B. Approve the inclusion of Desalination to the 2022 Recycled Water Committee Work Plan.
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SUMMARY:
Since 2003, Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) has been exploring potential desalination projects to help meet future water supply needs. One effort happening under the Bay Area Regional Reliability (BARR) Partnership is the Bay Area Regional Desalination Project (BARDP) that Valley Water is evaluating with Contra Costa Water District (CCWD), Zone 7 Water District (Zone 7), and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). In addition, Valley Water evaluated local brackish groundwater desalination in 2018 and plans to begin a pre-feasibility study of other potential local desalination options. This memo will provide background on the work Valley Water has done related to desalination and recommended next steps.
Background
Starting in 2003, the BARDP evaluated several sites around the San Francisco Bay for a desalination project. Three sites in Santa Clara County were part of the evaluation. Ultimately the Mallard Slough in eastern Contra Costa County was chosen as the most feasible site for a desalination project. Mallard Slough was preferred, because it has brackish water, existing water rights to feed the project, and is close to existing CCWD facilities. CCWD has agreed to provide two of their water rights (a permit and a license) to provide feed water to the desalination plant. CCWD is unable to fully use the water rights since the water is generally not fresh. In 2011 BARDP completed a pilot ...
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