April 13, 2006


Status of Santa Clara County reservoirs and streams

With the National Weather Service forecasting showers throughout the week and the next storm system scheduled to arrive on Sunday, the Santa Clara Valley Water District continues to make controlled releases of water from seven reservoirs that are either full or nearing capacity.

This photo taken last weekend of Los Alamitos Creek running through New Almaden shows the beauty of the flowing water, which comes from the Almaden Reservoir. “People are drawn to the lakes, reservoirs and creeks because of the beauty of the rushing water,” said Mike DiMarco, public information officer for the Santa Clara County Water District. “There are only a couple of times a year when you get these high levels in the creeks. But it is important for people to remember that it only takes a couple of inches of rushing water to sweep you off of your feet and with 800 miles of creeks in this county we can’t patrol them all. People really need to be careful out there.” —Photo by Daniel DeBolt

By making releases through outlet pipes, the district is helping to reduce the volume of spills and to free up capacity in reservoirs for the approaching storms. By catching heavy runoff in the upper watersheds, the operational maneuver can reduce the flows of water in valley-floor streams, reducing the risk of flooding.

In the Guadalupe Watershed, the district is releasing water through outlet pipes at Almaden and Guadalupe reservoirs, which stopped spilling over the weekend. Lexington and Vasona reservoirs, also in the Guadalupe Watershed, have been spilling since mid-March into the Guadalupe River via Los Gatos Creek. Both are expected to continue spilling over the next seven days despite controlled releases.

In the Coyote Watershed, its two reservoirs—Anderson and Coyote—continue to spill excess water into Coyote Creek. Although the district is making additional releases of water through outlet pipes at Anderson, both are expected to continue spilling over the next seven days.

There has been no flooding on either the Guadalupe River or Coyote Creek, and none is expected. All the creeks, except the Lower Coyote Creek, are receding and are below levels of concern. However, the district will continue to closely monitor both streams for potential problems.

The status of Santa Clara County’s 10 reservoirs is:

· Almaden (south San Jose) is not spilling. Making flood releases.

· Anderson (east of Morgan Hill) spilling and will continue to spill throughout the seven-day forecast period. Making flood releases.

· Coyote Reservoir (east of Gilroy) is spilling and will continue to spill in the seven-day forecast period.

· Calero Reservoir (south San Jose) is not expected to spill within the next seven days

· Chesbro Reservoir (west of Morgan Hill) is not expected to spill in the next seven days.

· Guadalupe Reservoir (south San Jose) is not spilling. Making flood releases.

· Lexington Reservoir (above Los Gatos) is spilling and will continue to spill throughout the seven-day forecast period. Making flood releases.

· Stevens Creek Reservoir (above Cupertino) is not expected to spill within the next seven days. Making flood releases.

· Uvas Reservoir (west of Morgan Hill) is spilling and may continue to spill throughout the seven-day forecast period. Making flood releases.

· Vasona Reservoir (Los Gatos) is spilling and is expected to continue spilling throughout the seven-day forecast.
Visit www.valleywater.org for updates on the most current conditions.