Groundwater

Santa Clara County’s groundwater basins are an important but unseen part of our water supply. In fact, these basins hold more water than all 10 of our surface reservoirs combined, and nearly half of all water used comes from groundwater. Groundwater basins are naturally replenished by rainfall and other sources, but pumping far exceeds natural recharge. For many decades, the district has managed groundwater and surface water to ensure continued sustainable water supplies.

As the groundwater management agency for the Santa Clara County, the district works to safeguard groundwater by:

• Replenishing groundwater with local and imported surface water.
• Reducing demands on groundwater through treated surface water deliveries, water conservation, and water recycling.
• Monitoring groundwater and implementing programs to protect against contamination.

The 2016 Groundwater Management Plan, adopted by the district Board of Directors in November 2016, describes the district's groundwater sustainability goals and the strategies, programs, and activities that support those goals. This plan was submitted to the California Department of Water Resources as an Alternative Plan for compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

• Download the 2016 Groundwater Management Plan (PDF 45 MB)

The district's Annual Groundwater Report provides detailed information on recent groundwater conditions and activities.

• Download the 2019 Annual Groundwater Report (PDF 12 MB)