SAN JOSE — At its meeting on July 9, 2024, Valley Water’s Board of Directors postponed a decision on a proposed ordinance to reduce encampments, prevent re-encampments and prohibit related activities along creeks, waterways, water supply facilities and other lands where Valley Water holds land rights.
The Board of Directors sent the ordinance back to the Environmental Creek Cleanup Committee to review, incorporate comments and concerns from the public and board and provide clarity on the implementation process.
A planned summit to address the impacts of encampments in waterways is scheduled for Oct. 11, 2024. Valley Water hopes to bring together local leaders from Santa Clara County, South Bay cities, businesses, nonprofit groups, and advocacy organizations to discuss addressing unsheltered encampments in waterways, actionable ideas for collaboration, and working together towards real solutions.
The proposed Water Resources Protection Zones ordinance is designed to help protect water resources, endangered species and other ecological resources. It is also intended to support and improve safety for Valley Water’s staff working in the field, who have faced increase armed threats of violence, verbal assaults and physical intimidation, vicious dog encounters and fire-related occurrences.
Valley Water’s intention of this proposed ordinance is not to result in criminalization of the unhoused community. This ordinance is designed to first employ an educational approach to obtain compliance with the ordinance and existing laws. Valley Water does not want to see people incarcerated or fined because of this ordinance. Our goal is to create safer conditions for our staff who work in and around creeks, waterways and water supply facilities and better protect the environment and infrastructure.
Valley Water owns and manages 295 miles of the more than 800 miles of creeks and rivers in Santa Clara County. The remaining stretches of creeks are owned Santa Clara County, private entities, cities in which the creeks are located, and other public agencies.
Valley Water manages an integrated water resources system that includes the supply of clean, safe water, flood protection and stewardship of streams on behalf of Santa Clara County’s 2 million residents. The district effectively manages 10 dams and surface water reservoirs, three water treatment plants, an advanced recycled water purification center, a state-of-the-art water quality laboratory, nearly 285 acres of groundwater recharge ponds and 333 miles of waterways. We provide wholesale water and groundwater management services to local municipalities and private water retailers who deliver drinking water directly to homes and businesses in Santa Clara County.