Date: May 21, 2003

Water district board has no
plans to encroach on Coe State Park

SANTA CLARA COUNTY - Alternatives to solve a water supply and quality problem at San Luis Reservoir will not include any plans to inundate any part of Henry W. Coe State Park. Today, the district board of directors affirmed that the district would not create adverse impacts to the state park to solve the problem.

"We have a good range of possible solutions on the table," said Sig Sanchez, board chairman. "We can solve this without damaging the park."

In a memo to the Santa Clara Valley Water District board of directors, Stanley M. Williams, district chief executive officer, concluded that a reservoir that encroaches upon a state park would be incompatible with district interests and state law. On Tuesday, the board unanimously concurred with Mr. William's interpretation.

The district's list of alternatives to solve the problem known as low-point includes a reservoir on Pacheco Creek just north of Highway 152 in southern Santa Clara County. Until today, the district had left open the possibility that this alternative could result in water backing into the state park.

Along with several other alternatives, the water district will continue to study the possible expansion of Pacheco Reservoir because it may be possible to design this alternative in a way that avoids adverse impacts to Henry W. Coe State Park. This project is in a preliminary stage and, as such, the potential effects and benefits of each alternative have not been fully studied.

The water district concluded that creating a storage facility using state park land would require changing the park's designation from "state park" to "state recreation area." Because the designation as state recreation area is incompatible with district interests, the district will not seek such a change in designated use. A designation as a state recreation area would mean a drinking water reservoir could be open to boating, fishing and other active recreational uses.

Since August 2002, the water district has been studying potential solutions to the low-point problem at San Luis Reservoir. A significant proportion of the water supply to Santa Clara County and San Benito County is at risk due to the low-point problem. Water quality degrades when the reservoir reaches a certain low point during the summer, the peak demand season. If central and southern California water users draw the reservoir down beyond a certain point, the intake for water users west of the reservoir would run dry.

The other alternatives that are under consideration include a pipeline to bypass San Luis Reservoir, lowering the reservoir's existing intake facilities, source water quality control, water treatment methods and a combination approach which could include elements of these alternatives, a change in operations of existing facilities and integration with other regional projects. This is the preliminary list of alternatives that the district will study in detail in the environmental impact report in addition to a "no project" alternative. The district has not yet determined which option will be the "preferred alternative."

The Santa Clara Valley Water District manages Santa Clara County's wholesale drinking water resources, coordinates flood protection for its 1.7 million residents and provides stewardship for the county's 10 reservoirs and more than 700 miles of streams.