Santa Clara Valley Water District To Participate in California WaterFix

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — The Santa Clara Valley Water District announced that its Board of Directors voted unanimously Tuesday to participate in the California WaterFix project. In a news release, the district said its participation in the state's proposed plan to improve the infrastructure that carries water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is conditional and based on seven guiding principles.

"Conditions in the Delta threaten our future water supply," said Board Chair John L. Varela. "Today, in a 7 to 0 vote, the Board of Directors took action to help our area continue to thrive by protecting Santa Clara Valley’s water supply. I commend my fellow board members for having the courage to stand up for what’s right for the people and businesses of Santa Clara County."

As much as 40 percent of the water Santa Clara County uses each year comes through the Delta, the district says. However, the Delta’s aging network of earthen levees faces risks from rising seas, earthquakes and flooding. Further, declining conditions for fish and wildlife have led regulators to put more restrictions on when water can move through the Delta.

The seven guiding principles adopted by the board Tuesday as part of its vote are:

1. Santa Clara County needs are the primary drivers in all our decisions involving the WaterFix project.
2. We will not allow Silicon Valley values and priorities to be placed at a disadvantage relative to Central Valley Agriculture or Southern California.
3. We are advocating for a flexible approach that addresses Silicon Valley stakeholder and community input.
4. As water is a human right, we must make investments to make sure our water supply meets future needs at a cost affordable by everyone.
5. Equity and costs are important.
6. Any final arrangement must provide flexibility to acquire supplemental water by taking advantage of future wet years to ensure residents have a reliable water supply, no matter what extreme weather the changing climate brings.
7. Keep negotiating for the best deal for Santa Clara County.

The water district will now work with the state and water agency partners in support of a lower-cost, scaled-down and staged project that meets the needs of Silicon Valley, according to the news release.

Additionally, Board Chair Varela issued a statement on the matter:

"Today, in voting to participate in the California WaterFix project, the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors took a course of action that we believe will help Santa Clara County thrive.

"The California WaterFix will reduce risks to water supplies from failing levees and rising seas, while improving water flow in the south Delta to protect fish. Because fully 40 percent of the water used in Santa Clara County comes to us through the aging infrastructure of the Delta, our life, environment and economy depend on the condition and reliability of the Delta infrastructure.

"The board of the water district is committed to ensuring the people and businesses of Silicon Valley have the water they need at the most affordable price to continue making this an incredible place to live. This is why the board’s support for California WaterFix comes with certain conditions. Our existing imported water supplies, from both the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project must be sustained and protected at a reasonable cost per acre-foot.

"Our vote follows dozens of workshops and presentations over the last several years to hear updates and consider diverse perspectives. We have given this careful thought and consideration, and now we will work with our partner agencies and the state to move forward in pursuit of a more secure water future."

Valley Water has more information about the California WaterFix posted at its website.

A video of Tuesday's board meeting has been posted, as has the agenda packet.

Photo: In this Feb. 25, 2016 file photo, water flows through an irrigation canal to crops near Lemoore, Calif. The powerful Metropolitan Water District voted Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017 to pay its share of the $16 billion project to build two massive tunnels to pipe water from Northern California to Southern California cities. The vote gives Gov. Jerry Brown's ambitious project an important boost of support after an influential agricultural group withdrew its support last month. The tunnels, which have been discussed in one form or another for generations, would pipe water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — where Sierra Nevada water flows toward the sea — to a system of canals that deliver water to farms and residents mostly in the southern half of the state. (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)