The City is allowing developers to use potable water to water down dust from construction? This in itself is typical of the city: give developers whatever they want. What is just as troubling is the ignorance of Planning Manager Susan Martin regarding her response to a Red phone inquiry about the continued development of Gilroy. She stated, “Whether Gilroy is in a drought …” The City of Gilroy included a flyer in (a recent) billing stating “drought alert.” The State of California is in the worst drought conditions in over 100 years. So what is the answer? Is all of Gilroy in a drought condition, including developers or just the residents? Can you get some clarification from the city?
Red Phone:
Red Phone is happy to investigate this problem again. It contacted Rick Smelser, director of the Public Works Department of the City of Gilroy to get the lowdown. He confirmed that the City of Gilroy is still at a Level 1 Water Shortage, which does not limit construction permits. As a matter of fact, the Santa Clara County Water District (SCCWD) is the governing agency that sets the level of water shortage that cities must adhere to.
Contractors—who are required by the state to mitigate dust for air quality—actually pay for metered water from fire hydrants. In the bigger picture, the cities of Morgan Hill and Gilroy and SCCWD have partnered to develop and maintain the South County Water Recycling Master Plan.
Currently, Gilroy has the highest water-recycling rate in the county, at 25 percent.
“Recycled water is being used to water the landscaping of city parks and golf courses such as the Gilroy Sports Park, Christmas Hill Park, Eagle Ridge Golf Course, Gilroy Municipal Golf Course and by the utility company Calpine Corporation,” Smelser said. “Recycled water is being used by Meritage along Hecker Pass, Glen Loma on Santa Teresa and UNFI in the McCarthy Business Park area, who are all adjacent to the water recycling pipelines that extend from the Gilroy Sewage Treatment Plant in the south of Gilroy to the eastern part of the city.”
The city is looking to further extend the distribution of recycled water through pipelines.
“We are doing everything we can to save water in Gilroy and Morgan Hill, and we are maximizing the use of the recycled water system,” Smelser said.
