The rainy season has started in Santa Clara County, and though we had rain last week, it did not fully saturate the ground nor result in much run-off. With the intensity of this week’s storms, the Santa Clara Valley Water District expects to see more runoff into our creeks and this week, but we do not expect flooding from local creeks.
Although we do not expect creek flooding, local storm drains may be blocked from autumn leaf fall creating localized ponding on streets. Our maintenance staff stands ready around the clock with equipment to respond to reports of downed trees or debris obstructing flows in locations within our jurisdiction. We are also monitoring and clearing blockages at key bridges and culverts. We need the public’s help as our eyes and ears to alert us to obstructions in the creeks and to prevent flooding.
To report issues in creeks, residents can call (408) 630-2378 or submit a service request to Access Valley Water.
Santa Clara Valley Water District crews have worked all year to prepare our creeks for storms. We are dedicated to keeping residents and businesses safe through our flood protection programs. In preparation for this series of storms, all our sandbag sites have been fully stocked.
Currently, our 10 reservoirs have a combined storage of about 27 percent of their full capacity. We do not anticipate our large reservoirs reaching capacity this week or next. This rain and that of expected storms will help increase the volume of water stored in our reservoirs for a portion of our water supply throughout the coming year.
It’s important to remember to continue to conserve water, even when it’s raining. As a reminder: there’s a statewide prohibition on watering within two days after the rain stops, so be sure to turn off your irrigation for that time period.
Visit our website (http://www.valleywater.org/floodready/) for flood safety tips, current reservoir levels and stream flows, as well as maps to our free sandbag sites.
Richard P. Santos is chair of the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors. He can be reached at [email protected].