Santa Clara County relies on water delivered through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for approximately 40% of its water supply. However, the Delta water system is aging and becoming less reliable due to climate change and stricter regulations aimed at protecting fish species such as the Delta Smelt, Chinook Salmon and Steelhead.
The Delta Conveyance Project aims to modernize California’s water delivery system. The project will protect against future water supply losses caused by climate-driven weather extremes, sea level rise, levee failures and earthquakes. It will modernize the water distribution system to capture and move water from big but infrequent storms so we can save more water to use during extended dry periods. The project could start providing water supply benefits as early as 2045.
Valley Water is one of 18 agencies participating in the proposed Delta Conveyance Project. On Jan. 14, 2025, the Valley Water Board of Directors will decide whether to continue funding the project’s planning and design work, which is projected to cost Valley Water an additional $9.69 million.
Extreme weather is leading to less snow and more rain in the winter months. California is expected to lose 10% of its water supply by 2040. Without upgrades to the State Water Project’s decades-old infrastructure, water supply will continue to decline, risking clean drinking water for 27 million people.
If the project is approved, it will install two screened intakes along the Sacramento River, using them only when flows are high to reduce impacts to fish and water quality. The water would then travel 45 miles through an underground tunnel along the eastern edge of the Delta and connect to the existing State Water Project infrastructure at Bethany Reservoir.
The project is estimated to cost $20.12 billion. The Board will vote on Jan. 14, 2025, to keep funding the project’s planning and design phase. This vote does not commit Valley Water to fully participate in the project.
Valley Water’s Water Supply Master Plan 2050 provides a framework to help the Board of Directors evaluate options and ensure Santa Clara County has reliable water in the future. With an update underway, the plan aims to provide a sustainable water supply that meets our community’s future demand, including during potential droughts. The plan aims to balance costs, long-term benefits, and risks.
Through the Water Supply Master Plan, Valley Water staff have evaluated 18 possible projects, including the Delta Conveyance Project, purified water, storage projects, groundwater recharge, and pipelines. The Delta Conveyance Project is part of the lower-cost and diversified investment portfolios that were presented to the Board in June 2024.
During the Board meeting on Jan. 14, staff will update the Board and discuss the decision to allocate $9.69 million for our share of the planning and design costs for 2026-27. Community members who want to learn more can attend in person at Valley Water Headquarters Building Boardroom, 5750 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA 95118, at 1 p.m. or join remotely via Zoom: https://valleywater.zoom.us/j/84454515597.
To read more about the Delta Conveyance Project, please visit the California Department of Water Resources website at water.ca.gov/Programs/State-Water-Project/Delta-Conveyance.
