Tag: santa clara valley water district

The California Water Commission on Tuesday, July 24 approved $484.55 million to dramatically expand the Pacheco Reservoir in southeast Santa Clara County for drinking...

SAN JOSE—The Santa Clara Valley Water District board has asked its audit committee to review transactions between the district and one of its largest consultants following a testy exchange between board members and staff at Tuesday’s meeting.

When Gilroy residents Harry and Laurie Sontag made the decision to replace two-thirds of their lawn with pavers last spring, they were not aware of the lawn-replacement rebate offered by the Santa Clara Valley Water District. They just hoped to conserve water and create a larger space for hosting outdoor parties and watching movies on an outdoor screen.The project updated approximately 400 square feet of lawn and was completed in two weeks.

Is the grass greener on the other side? It shouldn’t be with the water restrictions we have all been given. Now well into summer, we have visual proof of what a serious California drought looks like in our own yards and neighborhoods. This is a hot topic. The Santa Clara Valley Water District reports that many homeowners are taking advantage of the rebate program to replace their lawns. I have heard the pros and mostly cons of replacing lawn with artificial turf. Recently, I saw a video of a company that uses a plant-based green dye to temporarily color your lawn until the rains come down, wash it away and bring back that luscious green we all dream about.

In the midst of exceptional drought conditions, a new, locally controlled, drought-proof water source for Silicon Valley could not have come at a better time. The Santa Clara Valley Water District, in partnership with the cities of San José and Santa Clara, is celebrating the completion of the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center.

Beautiful and warm, that’s how the weather’s supposed to be this spring weekend and that’s how the San Jose Sharks are playing after the Olympic break. A Stanley Cup would be fitting for Joe Thornton, in particular. The longer he plays, the more legends he passes in the record books. When you watch him carefully, he’s clearly a “Jedi Master” feeding teammates the puck for scoring opportunities. At just the right moment in just the right place, the disc arrives on the stick and it’s a thing of beauty to watch and marvel over.

Beautiful and warm, that’s how the weather’s supposed to be this spring weekend and that’s how the San Jose Sharks are playing after the Olympic break. A Stanley Cup would be fitting for Joe Thornton, in particular. The longer he plays, the more legends he passes in the record books. When you watch him carefully, he’s clearly a “Jedi Master” feeding teammates the puck for scoring opportunities. At just the right moment in just the right place, the disc arrives on the stick and it’s a thing of beauty to watch and marvel over.

“A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours.”

Due to the low water level in Anderson and Coyote reservoirs, boating will be suspended at both reservoirs on Oct. 6. To mitigate the reservoirs’ early closure, the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department will increase boating days at Calero, and keep Stevens Creek and Lexington reservoirs open on weekends and holidays in order to provide options for recreational boaters and anglers.  

Seems like things are improving economically, but it’s a slow boil recovery. Have always felt like the psychological aspect to recovery – or slide – is critically important. It’s almost as if you can “feel” whether the economy is moving. The numbers don’t lie, but they don’t tell the whole truth either. So, as Miss Jenny and I struggle to get the two daughters through college and the nation sputters to leave the Great Recession behind, I’m chagrined at the plethora of state, county and local tax measures dripping ink all over the upcoming ballot. There have been some reforms for public agencies in pension, benefit and pay structures. But honestly, it’s not nearly enough – not nearly enough to justify supporting all the tax measures on the ballot. One of our Community Pulse members answered a question about supporting the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s tax proposal  with this: “No. On principle, voting no on all tax measures until agencies, counties, Sacramento get their wasteful spending practices in order.” That’s on the money, and it seems to me that until the clear majority of voters adopt that principle – despite general support for schools, dam re-building, public safety or whatever the purpose – serious and sustainable reform will not happen.