Where your water comes from

In a normal year, less than half of Santa Clara County's water is drawn from local groundwater aquifers or rainwater captured in the district's reservoirs. More than half originates hundreds of miles away - first as snow in the Sierra Nevada range of northern and eastern California, then as river water that empties into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. This imported water is brought into the county through the State Water Project, the federal Central Valley Project, and to a small degree, San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy system.

Local rainfall, or runoff, flows into the 10 district reservoirs for storage and blending with the imported water before groundwater recharge or treatment at one of our three drinking water treatment plants.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District built and manages the 10 local reservoirs, manages the groundwater basins, engages in programs aimed at protecting the quality of its water sources; designs and builds water distribution facilities; and operates three water treatment plants.

The district sells both treated water and groundwater to 13 local water retail agencies that serve communities within the county via their own distribution systems.

There are also private well owners in Santa Clara County. For information on well applications, requirements and other issues, see our wells section.