On Oct. 14, 2022, Valley Water hosted elected officials and key advocacy stakeholders on the first in-person Water Walk tour since the pandemic began. The tour, which included stops at some of Valley Water’s critical water infrastructure projects, aims to educate and engage decision-makers and key advocacy stakeholders about the projects’ benefits and advocate for funding and legislative needs.
Valley Water Chair Pro Tem John L. Varela welcomes guests at the Water Walk Tour. 
Valley Water Director Richard Santos greets tour guests at the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center. 
Guests of the water walk tour stop at Anderson Dam and learn about Valley Water’s progress on this key public safety and water supply project.
The tour featured visits to Anderson Dam, Alamitos Groundwater Recharge Ponds, the Upper Guadalupe River Flood Protection and South San Francisco Shoreline Projects, and the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center.
Valley Water Chair Pro Tem John Varela welcomed attendees at the start of the tour, and Director Richard Santos greeted the group at the purification center. During the tour, Valley Water’s subject matter experts provided presentations at each stop and answered questions from attendees.
Elected officials from Sunnyvale, Saratoga, and Monte Sereno and staff members from the offices of Congressmen Ro Khanna and Jimmy Panetta, State Senators Dave Cortese and Josh Becker, Assemblymembers Ash Kalra and Robert Rivas, and Supervisor Mike Wasserman attended the tour. They were joined by representatives from the Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce, Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, Peninsula Open Space Trust, Sierra Club California, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, and Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge.
“These tours are important to the Valley Water Board of Directors,” Chair Varela said. “We need support from policymakers and stakeholders to fund and permit crucial water supply, flood protection, and environmental restoration projects that benefit our communities. We thank everyone who joined us on this year’s tour.”
Valley Water also offers public tours of the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center in San José. To register for an upcoming in-person tour, please visit Purewater4u.org. If you are interested in a private tour for 10 or more, please email watersupplyoutreach@valleywater.org. We also have virtual tours available.
Valley Water News 