California Dam Fix: No More Power, Safer Creek Ahead
Published Date: 9/17/2025
Notice
Summary
The Santa Clara Valley Water District wants to fix the Anderson Dam to make it safer by lowering the reservoir, stopping hydroelectric power, and protecting the creek downstream. This affects local residents and the environment in Santa Clara County, California. The public can now check out the draft report and share their thoughts before final decisions and spending happen.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Dam Retrofit, Reservoir Drawdown, Hydropower Surrender
The Santa Clara Valley Water District proposes to draw down Anderson Reservoir to perform a seismic retrofit of the dam, decommission the hydroelectric facility, implement conservation measures downstream on Coyote Creek, and surrender the hydroelectric project exemption. The project involves a 240-foot-high, 1,385-foot-long dam; a reservoir with a maximum surface area of 1,240 acres and storage capacity of 89,278 acre-feet at a spillway elevation of 627.8 feet (NAVD88); a 54-inch diameter, 2,800-foot-long penstock; an 800-kilowatt powerhouse; and a 100-foot transmission line. The project is located on Coyote Creek in Santa Clara County, California.
Draft EIS Released; Comment Period
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Anderson Dam Project. You can submit comments by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 3, 2025, and attend public comment sessions on October 15, 2025 (6:30–8:30 p.m. Pacific Time) and October 16, 2025 (9:00–11:00 a.m. Pacific Time) at the Hiram Morgan Hill Room, 17000 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, CA.
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