Partially Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report

What: Notice of Availability of Partially Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report

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 Partially Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to evaluate environmental impacts of the proposed changes to the Project. To review or download the following:

Partially Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report click here
Updated Appendices for the Partially Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report click here
Partially Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report (complete) click here
Notice of Availability click here
Notice of Completion 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 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. 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 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 for the Project was circulated for public review between September 1 and November 8, 2023. After circulation of the Draft EIR, Valley Water met with the Project Board of Consultants (BOC), which reviews the Project and makes recommendations to FERC, to discuss updated design plans and construction sequencing. In response to that meeting and BOC recommendations, Valley Water now proposes to make certain construction changes to the seismic retrofit component, such as extending daily work hours, adding some weekend days, and beginning work on certain Project components sooner. These proposed changes would allow Valley Water to construct planned Project components within the planned construction timeline before the wet season each year to improve its ability to complete the Project on schedule. Valley Water is also introducing a revision to Best Management Practice AQ-1 (Use Dust Control Measures), updating estimates for average and maximum daily workers, adding two noise sensitive receptors, and making minor editorial clarifications.

These Project changes necessitated revisions to portions of the aesthetics, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and noise and vibration sections of the Draft EIR, which are reflected in the Partially Recirculated Draft EIR. In addition, two appendices to the Draft EIR—Appendix E for air quality and greenhouse gases and Appendix M for noise and vibration—have been revised in the Partially Recirculated Draft EIR to reflect the Project changes, as well as to provide additional technical documentation of the EIR impact analyses.

Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15088.5(f)(2), if the Draft EIR revision is limited to a few chapters or portions of the Draft EIR, the lead agency need only recirculate the chapters or portions that have been modified. The changes to the Project being recirculated would not substantially change the information, analysis, or significance conclusions in the remaining sections of the Draft EIR. Therefore, those sections are not included in the Partially Recirculated Draft EIR. Pursuant to Section 15088.5(f)(2) of the CEQA Guidelines, Valley Water directs that reviewers of this Partially Recirculated Draft EIR limit their comments to those that relate to the sections of the Partially Recirculated Draft EIR that have been revised and recirculated.

The Partially Recirculated Draft EIR discloses certain significant Project impacts on aesthetics, air quality, greenhouse gases, and noise and vibration, but does not change the significance conclusions for these impacts as compared to the Draft EIR. There would continue to be significant and unavoidable impacts associated with air quality and noise and vibration as a result of the Project. Significant impacts to aesthetic resources and greenhouse gas emissions discussed in the Partially Recirculated Draft EIR would be mitigated to less than significant levels, similar to the Draft EIR. 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 Partially Recirculated Draft EIR on the Project for public review beginning on August 5, 2024, and ending on September 20, 2024. The Partially Recirculated Draft EIR and supporting appendices may be reviewed at https://www.valleywater.org/public-review-documents. The Partially Recirculated Draft EIR and two recirculated appendices are 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

Again, pursuant to Section 15088.5(f)(2) of the CEQA Guidelines, Valley Water directs that reviewers of this Partially Recirculated Draft EIR limit their comments to those that relate to the sections of the Draft EIR that have been revised and recirculated. Written comments received in response to the Partially Recirculated Draft EIR, along with prior comments received on the Draft EIR, will be addressed in the Final EIR.

Contact: Written comments on the Partially Recirculated Draft EIR should be submitted electronically or by mail by 5:00 p.m. on September 20, 2024. Written comments can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to:

Santa Clara Valley Water District
Attention: Tiffany Chao, Senior Water Resources Specialist
5750 Almaden Expressway
San Jose, CA 95118

For additional information, please contact Tiffany Chao at (408) 630-3107.