What: Revised Notice of Availability of Draft EIR; Notice of In-person and Virtual Public Information Meeting to Solicit Comments on the Draft EIR
When: October 4, 2023, 6:30 – 8:00 pm.
Where: Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, Hiram Morgan Hill Room, 17000 Monterey Hwy, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Zoom link: https://valleywater.zoom.us/j/87331718480
Webinar ID: 873 3171 8480, Call in #: +16699009128, ID: 87331718480#
Why: Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act, Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water), as the lead agency for the proposed Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project (Project), has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to evaluate environmental impacts of the Project. To review or download the following:
- Draft Environmental Impact Report (Vol. 1), click here.
- Draft EIR Appendices (Vol. 2), click here.
- Individual chapters, click here.
- Individual appendices, click here
- Notice of Completion, click here
- Revised Notice of Availability, click here
The proposed Project is located at Anderson Reservoir and areas along Coyote Creek in Santa Clara County, California. Anderson Reservoir is Valley Water’s largest water storage facility, but due to seismic restrictions has not been able to operate to full capacity since 2009.
The Project involves retrofitting and upgrading Anderson Dam and its associated facilities to meet public safety requirements by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and California Department of Water Resources Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD). Specifically, the Project will correct dam safety deficiencies that were identified between 2008 and 2016. The Project would allow Valley Water to maximize water supply and related benefits, while avoiding and minimizing environmental impacts. The Project also includes decommissioning the hydroelectric facility at the dam, implementing Conservation Measures along Coyote Creek to avoid and minimize adverse impacts, and conducting habitat and species monitoring during construction.
Upon completion of the dam seismic retrofit, Anderson Reservoir will return to its original storage capacity. For post-construction operations, the Project includes: implementing of Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort Phase 1 reservoir releases (flow measures) at the retrofitted Anderson Dam facility, continuing maintenance of the dam once the retrofit has been completed, operations and maintenance of Conservation Measures, and implementing an adaptive management program to monitor and adaptively manage reservoir releases and Conservation Measures to assure that they achieve their objectives.
The Draft EIR identified significant environmental impacts for the following resource topics: aesthetics, air quality, biological resources (wildlife and terrestrial resources), cultural resources, hydrology, geology and soils, groundwater, water supply, water quality, greenhouse gases, hazards and hazardous materials, noise and vibration, public services, recreation, transportation, tribal cultural resources, and wildfire. Many of these impacts were determined to be less than significant after implementing proposed mitigation measures. However, significant impacts would remain significant and unavoidable for the following resource topics: aesthetics, air quality, biological resources (wildlife), hydrology, water quality, and noise. The Project would not be located on a hazardous waste site listed under Government Code Section 65962.5.
Public Review: Valley Water has released the Draft EIR on the Project for public review beginning on September 1, 2023 and ending on November 8, 2023. The Draft EIR is also available for in-person review during normal business hours at:
- Valley Water, 5750 Almaden Expressway, San José, CA 95118
- City Clerk of the City of Morgan Hill, 17575 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
- City of Morgan Hill Library, 660 West Main Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Contact: Written comments on the Draft EIR should be submitted electronically or by mail by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. Written comments can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to:
For additional information, please contact Tiffany Chao at (408) 630-3107.