Get to know your treatment plant
The Rinconada Water Treatment Plant in Los Gatos is the oldest of the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s three treatment plants and has served Santa Clara County since 1968. Inside this facility are plant and raw water operators, maintenance mechanics, electricians and many others working as much as 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure clean, safe drinking water.
As the second-largest of the district's plants, Rinconada can treat and deliver up to 80 million gallons of water each day for retailers who supply residential and commercial users in the west valley, including the cities of Santa Clara, Campbell, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View and Los Altos and the towns of Los Gatos and Los Altos Hills.
Water source
Rinconada draws water from the South Bay Aqueduct (SBA) and the San Luis Reservoir. The San Luis Reservoir is a key component of the federal Central Valley Project while the SBA is a key component of the State Water Project system. Water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta pumps into the Delta-Mendota Canal and then into the San Luis Reservoir. The water district is one of many users that draw water from this reservoir. The water district's local Anderson and Calero reservoirs can also supply the plant.
What's happening at your plant
The Rinconada plant has scheduled three separate shutdowns in December, January and March in order to conduct work to improve its primary electrical systems. During the shutdowns – scheduled for Dec. 5, Jan. 30 and March 12, 2012 – the plant will be without power. Each shutdown will last no longer than five consecutive days.
Since the plant is the only district facility providing drinking water to the west Santa Clara Valley, retail water service providers will need to use alternate drinking water sources during the shutdowns. As a result, several west valley communities may notice a change in the water they receive, in particular, an increased mineral content, or increased water hardness. These communities are Campbell, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Mountain View, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Sunnyvale
Contact information
If you have any questions or concerns about the Rinconada Water Treatment Plant, please contact Neighborhood Liaison Tony Mercado at (408) 265-2607, ext. 2342 or by e-mail at tmercado@valleywater.org.
If an urgent problem arises after regular business hours, please call the on-duty plant supervisor at (408) 265-2607, ext. 2121.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District is committed to providing a healthy, clean, reliable and affordable water supply that meets or exceeds all applicable water quality regulatory standards in a cost-effective manner.