As Gilroy, Hollister and Morgan Hill grow, so will the need for
additional water supply
Turn on the tap, load up the dishwasher or start the washing
machine and water makes its way into our homes. Even for those of
us who prefer the taste of bottled or filtered H20, the liquid is
ubiquitous in our lives. Though it may seem as though we have an
eternal supply, with more residents settling in the area, city
officials know the capacity of local water supplies needs to
expand.
With the power of the late-December, early January storms
dumping rain in the valley and snow in the Sierra Nevada, the last
thing on most people’s minds is the water supply. Indeed, at
Tuolumne Meadows more than 77 inches of snow pack has been recorded
by the state Department of Water Resources as of Jan. 5. That
compares to less than 50 inches at the same time a year ago. But as
we all know, weather is fickle and can turn on a dime.
As Gilroy, Hollister and Morgan Hill grow, so will the need for additional water supply
Turn on the tap, load up the dishwasher or start the washing machine and water makes its way into our homes. Even for those of us who prefer the taste of bottled or filtered H20, the liquid is ubiquitous in our lives. Though it may seem as though we have an eternal supply, with more residents settling in the area, city officials know the capacity of local water supplies needs to expand.
With the power of the late-December, early January storms dumping rain in the valley and snow in the Sierra Nevada, the last thing on most people’s minds is the water supply. Indeed, at Tuolumne Meadows more than 77 inches of snow pack has been recorded by the state Department of Water Resources as of Jan. 5. That compares to less than 50 inches at the same time a year ago. But as we all know, weather is fickle and can turn on a dime.
In South County, reservoirs such as the Uvas and Chesbro reservoirs that collect rainwater are used to replenish ground water basins. This water is pumped up to the surface by wells. Gilroy wells can currently produce up to 15.5 million gallons of water a day, while Morgan Hill wells can produce 9.1 million gallons a day.
One way cities in the region are looking at expanding water capacity is through test well programs that will determine new sites for production wells.
“We hire a company that does a study through the area and they look at various wells in the basin to determine a band of probability,” said Kristi Abrams, a development engineer for the city of Gilroy. “The closer to the valley floor, the higher the production. We don’t get as much volume out toward the mountains.”
The testing includes drilling a site to determine water quality, quality of the underground basin – called aquifers – and pumping tests to determine capacity of the aquifer at each location. The city has plans to add one production well by early 2007 and will follow with more after that.
Gilroy released findings from its Urban Water Management Plan in 2005. The report included figures on past water production and consumption from eight wells and three reservoirs. The conclusion of the study is that the city of Gilroy needs to double its water production capacity by 2038 to meet population growth. An original plan called for two new wells by mid-2006 and three more by the middle of 2009.
“Gilroy and Morgan Hill were part of the Gavilan Water District until 1986, when their only source of water was Uvas and Chesbro,” said Mike Di Marco, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara Valley Water District. “During dry years the water level would drop and farmers needed to dig deeper for water.”
Now the water district imports water from the Sacramento River Delta region so that the Llagas ground water basin is refilled even in years of drought. County reservoirs are at 77.3 percent of their capacity as of Jan. 16, higher than average for this time of year.
“The levels are from rainfall this year and from carry over from last year’s rains,” Di Marco said.
While the cities have plenty of water to meet their needs and have developed their own water plans, Gilroy City Manager Jay Baksa and Morgan Hill City Manager Ed Tewes are working with the water district to devise a South County Water Master Plan.
“They are part of the Percholorate Working Group that meets once a month and they agreed to use the time to put together a South County water plan,” Di Marco said. “We will see if there is enough water to supply future developments, and if not, what other options we have.”
In Gilroy, annual water production increased from 1.5 billion gallons a year in 1980 to 3.2 billion gallons in 2005. Though there were some years when production dipped, the trend has been a slow increase of production correlating to the growth of the city. During that time, the city’s population grew from 22,000 to 49,000.
Hollister officials are looking at the city’s water capacity and their growing needs.
“We are in the process of completing an urban water plan, called the Hollister Urban Area Water Plan,” said Steve Wittry, interim director of the engineering department for Hollister. “We will take into account population and we are working hand in hand with the Sunnyslope Water District and the San Benito County Water District.”
The plan will include projected water needs for the next 25 years and Wittry said it should be completed in March.
In 2005 Gilroy test well sites included spots in Forest Park, El Roble Park and Las Animas Park, among other sites. For most sites, Maggiora Brothers Drilling closed off a section of the park for two weeks while it conducted test drills.
One local business learned the hard way that water doesn’t always fall from the sky when the owners believed their parking lot would be adversely affected by a test well site. Peter Leffler, an engineer with Fugro West, another company Gilroy contracts with on test wells, approached the owner of Rush Order Inc. in Gilroy about a test well site at the end of Silacci Way, which would have closed off an entrance to their parking lot.
“It is certainly going to obstruct our main entry way for all freight carriers,” said David Watson, Rush Order’s warehouse manager this week before he learned of the city’s change of plan.
“We’ve got big, beautiful farmland right next door, but we must preserve that and tear up a parking lot,” Watson joked.
As it turns out, the city did not intend to drill in the parking lot. Abrams explained that the city is interested in the field at the end of Silacci Way as a drill site, but because of the rainy weather conditions, the city had considered doing a test well on the street to see if the area would be viable.
“We were thinking about doing the testing in the street rather than testing later,” Abrams said. “But we decided to wait until it dries out and go into the field so as not to impact the business.”
Last year’s test wells delivered one site that will make a good production site and the city is out to bid on a well in Forest Park.
“We are out to bid right now and there will be two components, drilling the hole in the ground and then constructing the well,” Abrams said.
The well site is situated on the bocce courts at the park, an area that hasn’t been used recently. While the well is under construction and when it is completed, the area will be blocked off to the public.
“The bocce courts weren’t being used,” Abrams said. “But the community services director will work with employees and residents to see if they need to be relocated and we will put them somewhere else.”
