Final Environmental Impact Report and Engineer's Report

What: Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR); notice of public hearing and Board meeting to certify the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project Final Environmental Impact Report

Topic: Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project (Project) Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR)  and Engineer’s Report

What: Notice of Availability of Final EIR; Notice of In-person and Virtual Public Hearing and Board Meeting on the Final EIR and Engineer’s Report for the Project   

When: February 25, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.

Where: HQ. Bldg. Boardroom, 5700 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA 95118 (in-person) and https://valleywater.zoom.us/j/84454515597 (Zoom link)

Why: The Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water), as the lead agency for the proposed Project, has completed a Final EIR to evaluate environmental impacts of the Project. The Final EIR was prepared in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the State CEQA Guidelines (Cal. Code Regs., § 15000 et seq.). 

To review or download the Final Environmental Impact Report see links below:

The proposed work of improvement is described in the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project Engineer’s Report.

Engineer's Report

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 and California Department of Water Resources Division of Safety of Dams. Specifically, the Project would 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 would return to its original storage capacity. For post-construction operations, the Project includes: implementing of Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort (FAHCE) 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 Final EIR identified significant environmental impacts related to: aesthetics, air quality, biological resources (wildlife and terrestrial resources), cultural resources, energy, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology, groundwater resources, water supply, water quality, noise and vibration, public services, recreation, transportation, tribal cultural resources, and wildfire. Significant impacts on cultural resources, energy, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, groundwater resources, water supply, public services, recreation, transportation, tribal cultural resources, and wildfire would be reduced to less than significant levels with the implementation of mitigation measures. Certain project impacts on aesthetics, air quality, biological resources (wildlife and terrestrial resources), hydrology, water quality, and noise would remain significant and unavoidable. None of the Project components are proposed on hazardous waste sites listed under Government Code § 65962.5. 

The Final EIR may be viewed at https://www.valleywater.org/project-updates/publicreview-documents. The Final EIR is also available for in-person review at the Valley Water headquarters located at: 5750 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA 95118. 

At the February 25, 2025, public hearing and Board meeting, public comments will be accepted on the Final EIR and Project. The Board will then consider certifying the Final EIR and approving the proposed Project or an alternative. For more information about the public hearing and Board meeting, please visit the Board meetings webpage at: https://scvwd.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. 