First water flows through Anderson Dam's new tunnel, clearing the way for Valley Water's $1.88 billion rebuild

Santa Clara County's water district has finished and tested a new outlet tunnel at Anderson Dam, a step it says lets reconstruction of the earthquake-vulnerable dam move ahead.

Valley Water announced Monday that on Oct. 30 it made the first controlled release of water from Anderson Reservoir into Coyote Creek through the 1,736-foot tunnel. Contractors opened each of the tunnel's two fixed cone valves to 10% of capacity, one at a time so the flows had time to move downstream.

About 4 million gallons passed through, roughly enough to fill six Olympic-size pools, the district said.

The tunnel gives the district more control over reservoir levels during construction and heavy storms. With a strong El Niño possible this winter, Valley Water said it will use the tunnel as needed to hold Anderson at about 3% of capacity, the restriction it has been operating under.

"This tunnel improves our ability to manage reservoir levels as we move forward with rebuilding the dam to current seismic standards," board chair Tony Estremera said in the district's announcement.

What comes next

Valley Water awarded the $1.88 billion reconstruction contract to the Flatiron Dragados Sukut ADSRP Joint Venture in July. The district's timeline:

2027: construction ramps up with haul roads, temporary bridges and more tunneling to add water-release capacity.
2028 to 2032: the main work: a new dam embankment and spillway, replacement outlet piping and seismic safety improvements, with embankment work expected to finish in 2032.
2033: site restoration.

Once rebuilt, Anderson Reservoir near Morgan Hill is to return to full operating capacity as the county's largest surface water storage facility. Director John Varela, whose district includes the dam, said the project will restore that capacity "for future generations."

Valley Water supplies wholesale water and manages groundwater for retailers serving the county's roughly 2 million residents, Saratoga among them.

Sources

valleywater.org

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