A proposal to re-open Anderson Reservoir to personal watercraft
use, and to require that all PWC on Anderson and Calero reservoirs
meet the latest emission-control standards, is on hold.
A proposal to re-open Anderson Reservoir to personal watercraft use, and to require that all PWC on Anderson and Calero reservoirs meet the latest emission-control standards, is on hold.
Staff from the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department agreed to consider other options during a May 24 meeting with local boaters.
At the meeting, boaters asked both agencies to consider a different approach to expand boating while still meeting water quality objectives.
At issue is the reintroduction of personal watercraft onto local reservoirs at greater numbers following restrictions enacted in 1998 to combat the threat of water contamination from the gasoline additive MTBE.
The additive has been banned from state gasoline supplies since Jan. 1, and all stations in California were expected to verify MTBE-free facilities as of March 31.
Currently, no PWC are allowed on Anderson Reservoir. A limited number of vessels – including personal watercraft, powerboats, fishing and sailing boats – are allowed onto Calero. All types of watercraft are allowed on Coyote Reservoir, east of Gilroy.
Current rules also specify that all watercraft use only fuel without MTBE. Now that the additive is no longer a threat, the water district and County Parks officials proposed re-opening Anderson to personal watercraft powered by four-stroke or two-stroke, direct fuel-injected engines.
Only PWC with the same “clean-burning” engines would be allowed onto Calero. PWCs with any type of engine would continue to be allowed at Coyote.
The restrictions are aimed at other components of gasoline – including benzene, toluene, ethylbenze and xylene – that can make their way into the reservoirs.
Anderson and Calero reservoirs play a critical role in Santa Clara County’s drinking water system.
Many boaters said a more equitable program would be to allow unrestricted PWC use at all three reservoirs unless continued water-quality monitoring shows the presence of chemical contamination.
The alternative proposal is under study by the district’s water quality staff.
When the analysis is completed, another public meeting will be held to discuss the findings.
