On Jan. 22 the water district hosted a community meeting to discuss the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project, a large-scale capital project scheduled to break ground in 2016. More than 80 Morgan Hill residents attended the meeting and were updated on the project planning process and heard the proposed six project alternatives.
In the near future, the water district will provide more opportunities for public participation during the project's planning phase by posting information on this web page, hosting meetings and sending periodic neighborhood updates to the community.
If you were not able to attend the meeting, the powerpoint presentation can be downloaded
here
Community meeting invitation (PDF)
Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, El Toro Room
17000 Monterey Street, Morgan Hill, 95037
The water district has prepared responses to questions posed at the meeting. Click here to view PDF.
Step back in time and view historic photographs of how Anderson Dam was built.
Historic photos 1
Historic photos 2
Historic photos 3
Historic photos 4
Informational materials:
Packed house at "good neighbor" meeting
The Santa Clara Valley Water District hosted an information meeting for residents living near Anderson Reservoir and Dam on Feb. 9, 2011. The water district has numerous facilities in and near Morgan Hill including Anderson Reservoir and Dam, Coyote pumping plant, percolation ponds, pipelines, canals and creeks.
Water district staff from various departments responded to questions raised and heard your concerns on the following topics:
Anderson Dam and Reservoir was named for Leroy Anderson, the key founder and first president of the Santa Clara Valley Water Conservation District. It was built in 1950, on a 500-acre dairy and cattle ranch along Coyote Creek purchased from the estate of John Cochran and his wife, Aphelia Farmington. The 7.8-miles-long Anderson Reservoir is the largest man-made lake in Santa Clara County. The reservoir can store 89,073 acre-feet of water. Its surface area is 1,271 acres.
Anderson Dam Seismic Stability Study completed (press release)
In July 2011, the Santa Clara Valley Water District completed a seismic stability evaluation of Anderson Dam. The evaluation found that the dam is subject to significant damage if a large earthquake were to occur close to the dam.
A storage restriction of 25.5 feet below the spillway has been put in place to protect public safety. The dam’s two regulatory agencies, the California Division of Safety of Dams and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the restriction. The restriction will allow the dam to fill to 67 percent of its full storage capacity. Staff believes that this will prevent the uncontrolled release of water after a major earthquake.
The water district has initiated a capital project, the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project, to complete the planning, design and construction of a seismic retrofit by the end of 2018. The operating restriction will remain in place until the project is completed.
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