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Water Treatment Plants

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The Santa Clara Valley Water District operates three water treatment plants that clean and disinfect imported water and/or water captured in four of our local reservoirs.

Rinconada Water Treatment Plant

Rendering of the upgraded Rinconada Treatment Plant
Rendering of the upgraded Rinconada Treatment Plant.

The Rinconada Water Treatment Plant is the second-largest of Valley Water's plants. Completed in 1967 by the Santa Clara County Flood Control and Water Conservation District - the precursor to today's water district - the plant can treat and deliver up to 80 million gallons of water each day for retailers who supply residential and commercial users in the West Valley, including the cities of Santa Clara, Campbell, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View, Monte Sereno, Saratoga and Los Altos and the towns of Los Gatos and Los Altos Hills. 


Water source
Rinconada mainly draws water from the South Bay Aqueduct (SBA) and the San Luis Reservoir. The San Luis Reservoir is a key component of the federal Central Valley Project. Water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta pumps into the Delta-Mendota Canal and then into the San Luis Reservoir. The SBA is a key component of the State Water Project system. Valley Water is one of many users that draw water from this reservoir. Valley Water's local Anderson and Calero reservoirs can also supply the plant. 


Contact information
If you have any questions or concerns about the Rinconada Water Treatment Plant, please contact Neighborhood Liaison Tony Mercado at (408) 630-2342 or by e-mail at [email protected].

If an urgent problem arises after regular business hours, please call the on-duty plant supervisor at (408) 630-2121.

Valley Water is committed to providing a healthy, clean, reliable and affordable water supply that meets or exceeds all applicable water quality regulatory standards in a cost-effective manner.

Penitencia Water Treatment Plant

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Penitencia Water Treatment Plant

The Penitencia Water Treatment Plant is the smallest of the three water treatment plants in Valley Water’s system.

Service area

This plant typically serves an area from Milpitas in the north to Aborn Road in the south, supplying safe drinking water to 270,000 residential and commercial users.

Water source

The South Bay Aqueduct (SBA), owned by the California Department of Water Resources, provides most of the water to the Penitencia plant. Water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is pumped into the California Aqueduct and then into the South Bay Aqueduct in Tracy. The SBA pipeline runs through the Livermore Valley and terminates at the Penitencia plant.

Capacity: Penitencia can treat and deliver up to 40 million gallons of water per day.

Date first operated: 1974

Contact information

If you have any questions or concerns about the Penitencia Water Treatment Plant, please contact Neighborhood Liaison Jose Villarreal at (408) 630-2879, or by e-mail at [email protected].

Valley Water is committed to providing a healthy, clean, reliable and affordable water supply that meets or exceeds all applicable water quality regulatory standards in a cost-effective manner.

Santa Teresa Water Treatment Plant

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Santa Teresa Water Treatment Plant

The Santa Teresa Water Treatment Plant is one of three water treatment plants in the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s system. It produces safe drinking water for most of South San Jose - Almaden Valley, Blossom Valley and Santa Teresa - supplying water to residential and commercial users. The plant can also serve the majority of the Penitencia Water Treatment Plant’s service area when needed.

As the largest of Valley Water’s three treatment plants, Santa Teresa can treat and deliver up to 100 million gallons of water per day. Most of the water coming into this plant is imported from San Luis Reservoir, a key component of the federal Central Valley Project. Water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is pumped into the Delta-Mendota Canal and then into the San Luis Reservoir. Valley Water is one of many users that draw water from this reservoir. The Santa Teresa Water Treatment Plant is also fed from Valley Water’s local supplies at Anderson and Calero reservoirs.

The Santa Teresa Water Treatment Plant opened in 1989, integrating the use of ozone into its water treatment process in 2006 to improve its drinking water quality.  Ozone is an excellent addition to the drinking water treatment process because it is a very strong disinfectant yet creates less disinfection byproducts than chlorine.  Disinfection byproducts at high levels can be a health concern. 

Contact information

If you have any questions or concerns about the Santa Teresa Water Treatment Plant, please contact Neighborhood Liaison Tony Mercado at (408) 630-2342 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Valley Water is committed to providing a healthy, clean, reliable and affordable water supply that meets or exceeds all applicable water quality regulatory standards in a cost-effective manner.