Contact: Santa Clara Valley Water District
Mike Di Marco
Pager: (408) 488-3963

City of San José
Lindsey Wolf
(408) 788-3194

Mayor Gonzales' office
David Vossbrink
(408) 932-2376

Date: Jan. 22, 2002

Partnership proposed to bolster Santa Clara County's water supplies for future generations

SAN JOSÉ - The San José City Council and Santa Clara Valley Water District board of directors will hold a first-ever joint meeting Tuesday to consider a long-term agreement to increase the use of recycled water and lessen demand on Santa Clara County's drinking water supplies.

The governing bodies are developing a cooperative framework for ownership and expansion of the South Bay Water Recycling system into Coyote Valley. In addition, the directors and council members are considering a partnership plan to create and maintain parks, trails and open space, and creation of a master maintenance permit for certain areas adjacent to creeks.

The joint meeting begins at 11 a.m. in the water district board room, 5700 Almaden Expressway (one block south of Blossom Hill Road), San José.

"Cooperation by local governments is essential for long-term solutions for water supplies and limited resources," said San José Mayor Ron Gonzales. "The ongoing work between the city and the district is an excellent example of what we can accomplish together for our residents and businesses."

Rosemary Kamei, chairperson of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, agreed.

"More than half of the county's residents live in San José," she said, "so it just makes sense for both of our agencies to work together to better serve the community."

Water from local rainfall and imported from outside the county - especially during a multi-year drought -- would likely fail to meet the area's increased demand for water by the year 2020, according to a 1996 study involving representatives from the business community, local public agencies, other water agencies, agriculture, environmental and community groups.

To bridge the gap between available supply and demand, the study recommended increasing recycled water production from 14,400 acre-feet a year to at least 37,000 acre-feet annually.
Recycled water - wastewater that is treated and re-used for turf irrigation or other specific purposes other than drinking - is taking an increasingly important role for meeting future water demands throughout California.

The South Bay Water Recycling program captures treated wastewater from eight cities in Santa Clara County that would otherwise be discharged into San Francisco Bay. The wastewater is recycled and used to irrigate golf courses, parks, schools and agricultural land, as well as for industrial processes, thus helping to achieve a sustainable water supply.

Since the water isn't discharged into the bay, the recycled water program increases salinity levels, thereby helping protect tidal marsh habitat for threatened species such as the California clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mouse.

Approval of a joint cost-sharing agreement would lead to extension of a 60-mile-long recycled water pipeline within the next two years into Coyote Valley to supply cooling towers at the proposed Metcalf Energy Center, as well as for other potential customers.

Additional work is planned for developing criteria for construction and operation that preserves water quality and the underground aquifer.