Santa Clara Valley Water District
Encyclopedia
The Santa Clara Valley Water District provides stream stewardship, wholesale water supply and flood protection for Santa Clara County, California
, in the southern San Francisco Bay Area
. The district encompasses all of the county’s 1300 square miles (3,367 km²) and serves the area’s 15 cities, 1.7 million residents and more than 200,000 commuters. The district's three water treatment
plants can produce as much as 210000000 gallons (794,936.5 m³) of drinking water a day. Another part of the district's mission is to manage flood and storm waters along the county’s hundreds of miles of creeks and rivers in an environmentally sensitive manner.
The district owns many dams, including:
Sustainability Showcase Award. This award honors the District's commitment to sustainability as shown through their award winning water use efficiency and conservation program.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in the southern San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. The district encompasses all of the county’s 1300 square miles (3,367 km²) and serves the area’s 15 cities, 1.7 million residents and more than 200,000 commuters. The district's three water treatment
Water treatment
Water treatment describes those processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end-use. These can include use as drinking water, industrial processes, medical and many other uses. The goal of all water treatment process is to remove existing contaminants in the water, or reduce the...
plants can produce as much as 210000000 gallons (794,936.5 m³) of drinking water a day. Another part of the district's mission is to manage flood and storm waters along the county’s hundreds of miles of creeks and rivers in an environmentally sensitive manner.
The district owns many dams, including:
- Almaden Dam (on Alamitos Creek)
- Calero Dam (on Calero Creek)
- Coyote DamCoyote Dam (Santa Clara County, CA)Coyote Dam, is a high, long, earth and rock dam built in 1936 in Santa Clara County, California, USA, located at north of Gilroy. It impounds Coyote Lake . The Santa Clara Valley Water District owns the dam.-See also:...
(forms Coyote LakeCoyote Lake (Santa Clara County, California)Coyote Lake is an artificial lake in Santa Clara County, California, USA, located at north of Gilroy.The lake is impounded by Coyote Dam, a high, long, earth and rock dam built in 1936...
on Coyote Creek) - Coyote Percolation Dam
- Elmer J. Chesbro Dam (on Llagas Creek)
- James J. Lenihan DamJames J. Lenihan DamJames J. Lenihan Dam is an earthen structure across the Los Gatos Creek creating the Lexington Reservoir in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Santa Clara County, California south of Los Gatos. The name was changed from Lexington Dam in 1996 for the retirement of James J...
(forms Lexington ReservoirLexington ReservoirLexington Reservoir is an artificial lake on the Los Gatos Creek near Los Gatos, California. The James J. Lenihan Dam, a high, thick earthen dam, forms the third-largest reservoir in Santa Clara County.-Background:...
on Los Gatos CreekLos Gatos Creek (Santa Clara County, California)The Los Gatos Creek runs 24 miles in California through Santa Clara Valley Water District's Guadalupe Watershed from the Santa Cruz Mountains northward through the Santa Clara Valley until its confluence with the Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose...
) - Leroy Anderson Dam (on Coyote Creek and Las Animas Creek)
- Rinconada Reservoir
- Stevens Creek Dam (on Stevens Creek)
- Uvas Dam (on Uvas CreekUvas CreekUvas Creek is a mainly southward-flowing stream originating on Loma Prieta peak of the Santa Cruz Mountains, in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The creek descends through Uvas Canyon County Park into Uvas Reservoir, and upon passing U.S...
) - Vasona Percolation Dam (on Los Gatos CreekLos Gatos Creek (Santa Clara County, California)The Los Gatos Creek runs 24 miles in California through Santa Clara Valley Water District's Guadalupe Watershed from the Santa Cruz Mountains northward through the Santa Clara Valley until its confluence with the Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose...
)
Awards
In December 2010 the Santa Clara Valley Water District was chosen as the water agency award recipient for the California Sustainability Alliance'sCalifornia Sustainability Alliance
The California Sustainability Alliance is an organization funded by the California IOUs to bring together key stakeholders needed to overcome the obstacles of sustainability. The Alliance was designed in 2008 to help meet the State’s aggressive climate, energy and other resource and environmental...
Sustainability Showcase Award. This award honors the District's commitment to sustainability as shown through their award winning water use efficiency and conservation program.