By Clarence Cromwell
Water rationing, yellow lawns and dirty cars. The Santa Clara Valley Water District is writing a plan to ward off those uncomfortable circumstances and any others that would accompany droughts.
The district issued the plan because of the dry years its customers suffered between 1987 and 1992.
The Integrated Water Resource Plan, when finished, will outline steps both for water conservation and delivery of surplus water during droughts.
But first, officials want input from the customers. The district is holding a series of public meetings in June throughout the county for public comment on the topic.
The county may face a serious shortage of water in future dry seasons.
"If we get an average rainfall, we do not foresee a serious problem," said Jim Fiedler, executive project manager of the plan. "The issue is really what you do in a shortage, where you have a drought event.".
The district can curtail any shortages, Fiedler said. The plan may include water conservation strategies such as convincing consumers to install low-flow toilets and shower heads. It might also involve building reservoirs to store water for a sunny day, or paying another government agency to store water in its reservoirs, or finding ways to recycle water. The district could also simply buy water from other water districts and pipe it to consumers.
Residents of Santa Clara County can register their opinions on the matter at two remaining meetings. The water district board of directors will present an overview of the plan at a June 19 meeting at the County Government Center. The meeting is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Isaac Newton Senter Auditorium, 70 West Hedding St., San Jose. Another meeting is planned for June 27, also 7 to 9 p.m., at the Morgan Hill City Council Chambers, 17555 Peak Ave., Morgan Hill.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, June 19, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved