January 8, 2009

NEWS BRIEFS

AVCA to hold Jan. 12 meeting

The Almaden Valley Community Association will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, Jan 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. It will feature speaker Kitty Monahan and Bern Smith during the second hour of the evening. They will be speaking about the relationship of Almaden Valley to Bay Area trails. Monahan is a member of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee for the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority and Smith is a member of the Council Staff for the South Bay Area Ridge Trails.

The meeting, as usual, will be held at the Almaden Community Center, 6445 Camden Ave.

Second Winter Walk for seniors set for Feb. 11

Councilmember Nancy Pyle, Westfield Oakridge and Kaiser Permanente are urging senior citizens to save the date for the second annual Westfield Oakridge Winter Walk for seniors Feb. 11.

While no other details have been ironed out, last year’s event was a big success. Breakfast started the event and the walk featured activity stations coordinated by sponsors. The stations focused on upper-body strength, balance and chair exercises.

In addition, last year’s event included access to a Senior Resource Fair, which included organizations from the city and county to educate seniors on programs and benefits directed to them.

Seismic stability concerns about Anderson Dam

As part of its comprehensive dam safety program, the Santa Clara Valley Water District staff routinely monitors and studies the condition of each of its 10 dams to ensure public safety. Although all of the dams have withstood earthquakes in the past, analyzing their seismic safety is ongoing as new technology and geologic information becomes available.

The water district recently received results of a preliminary evaluation showing how Anderson Dam could be affected if a major earthquake were to hit the Calaveras or Coyote Creek faults.

Although the results of the study are preliminary and based on limited information, the water district is taking additional steps to ensure the safety of the dam. The report indicates that a major earthquake could seriously damage the dam’s foundation. If damaged, the top of the dam could theoretically slump down. If the reservoir were full, there could be an uncontrolled release of water. However, since the staff is keeping the water level in the reservoir at less than 87 percent of capacity, that type of event is highly unlikely.

The water district staff will continue to restrict water levels to at least 30 feet below the crest of the dam until future engineering studies deem such a restriction is no longer warranted. The water district will also undertake a comprehensive study of Anderson Dam in the near future to seek additional data.

“Anderson Dam has played an important role in our ability to capture and store water for nearly 60 years,” said water district CEO, Olga Martin Steele. “Seismic studies help us understand what steps we need to take to keep it in top condition for future generations.”

The staff is coordinating with the California Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD), which conducts annual inspections of all dams; and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which also has jurisdiction over Anderson Dam.