Valley Water District
Santa Clara Valley Water District, commonly known as Valley Water, provides water supply services, flood protection, and stream stewardship throughout Santa Clara County. This article explains how its responsibilities differ from those of your local water retailer, where to send questions or report problems, and how to use official information about water quality, conservation programs, groundwater, flood preparedness, water charges, and public meetings.
Valley Water’s Role in Santa Clara County
Valley Water is the countywide wholesale water and groundwater management agency. Its work includes securing water supplies, treating drinking water, replenishing groundwater basins, managing flood protection infrastructure, and protecting waterways and wildlife habitat. The district operates three water treatment plants and manages a system that includes reservoirs, groundwater recharge facilities, and creeks.
The official Valley Water website brings together information about these services, improvement projects, conservation opportunities, and flood preparedness. Its “Your Valley Water” tools help residents identify their water retailer, district representative, sandbag location, and whether their property is in a FEMA Flood Hazard Zone. Enable JavaScript when using the website’s accessibility features and interactive tools.
Valley Water’s regional responsibilities do not make it the office responsible for every water-related decision. For example, the district states that it does not have land-use authority or a role in approving or permitting data centers. Its role as the recycled water wholesaler in South County concerns development of the regional recycled water system through water supply and master planning.
Your Water Retailer and Household Service
Local water retailers deliver water to homes and businesses through their distribution systems. They bill their customers directly and enact and implement local water-use ordinances. Most county residents therefore receive their household water bill from a retailer rather than from Valley Water.
The Find My Water Retailer page allows you to select your city or enter your address in a lookup tool. The city listings organize information about service areas, water sources, treatment methods, conservation rules, water-waste reporting, rebate programs, meters, and account information.
An address search is especially useful where more than one retailer serves a city or town. Cupertino, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, San José, and Sunnyvale have multiple suppliers in the district’s directory. A city name alone may not identify the supplier serving a particular property. The directory also directs residents of unincorporated areas to enter their address to determine their retailer.
Keep household billing questions separate from questions about Valley Water’s wholesale charges. Your retailer is the appropriate agency for retail water charges and the account information associated with your bill. Valley Water provides the regional supply and groundwater services that help support that local delivery system.
Requests and Reports Through Access Valley Water
Access Valley Water is the district’s customer service portal for requests, questions, complaints, and compliments. It is designed to send an inquiry directly to the district staff person who can help with the selected subject.
The portal offers a topic list and a keyword filter. Its search field also covers information articles and existing requests, with request identifiers shown in the format “AVW-XXXXX.” That identifier belongs to the Access Valley Water request system; it serves a different purpose from a retailer’s water account information.
Topics for Different Service Needs
Select the topic that matches the issue you want the district to address. The portal includes the following categories:
Groundwater and well information.
Drinking water quality and tap water quality.
Streams, creeks, rivers, and waterways.
Rebates and services to save water.
Water utilities, including ponds, dams, and reservoirs.
Valley Water projects and programs.
Public records and materials.
Public safety, regulations, concerns, and permitting.
General inquiries and feedback.
Popular requests include reporting water waste, illegal dumping or trash, and problems involving water utility fences, gates, and signs. The portal also provides information articles and maps. These options let users distinguish a question about a district facility from a conservation inquiry or a request for records.
For water waste, the retailer directory provides reporting information organized by service area, while Access Valley Water also has a water-waste reporting topic. Confirming the retailer serving the address helps you identify the local rules and reporting information that apply there.
Water Sources and Groundwater Management
Santa Clara County uses a combination of local water, imported water, and recycled water. Valley Water’s explanation of where your water comes from describes how these sources contribute to the regional supply. The source serving a particular neighborhood can differ from the countywide mix, which is why the retailer directory also identifies sources by service area.
Local Runoff and Imported Supplies
Local rainfall and runoff flow into reservoirs for storage and blending with imported water. Water released into creeks and ponds supports natural percolation and helps maintain groundwater levels. Some local surface water goes through drinking water treatment plants before being sold to retailers for delivery to customers.
About half of the county’s water supply comes from outside the county. This imported water begins as snow or rain in the Sierra Nevada and travels through rivers and water conveyance systems. Supplies reach the county through the State Water Project, the federal Central Valley Project, and San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy system.
Groundwater Recharge and Private Wells
The county’s groundwater basins hold more water than its ten surface reservoirs combined. Valley Water replenishes these basins with local and imported water through percolation ponds and streambeds. Maintaining groundwater levels supports water reliability, provides storage for droughts and shortages, and helps prevent subsidence—the sinking of land that can occur when groundwater is withdrawn faster than it is replaced.
Groundwater pumped through wells is used by private well owners, farmers, and water retailers. Access Valley Water has a dedicated groundwater and well information category. The district also provides separate telephone contacts for well permits and inspections and for water production statements. These are distinct service subjects, so direct a question to the contact corresponding to the work or statement involved.
Recycled Water and Purification
Recycled water is used primarily for irrigation, industry, and agriculture. It helps conserve drinking water, reduces dependence on imported supplies and groundwater, and provides a locally controlled source of water.
Advanced purification is a separate part of the district’s water supply work. The Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center uses microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet disinfection to produce highly purified water. This purification process should not be confused with the non-potable recycled water identified for irrigation in some local service areas.
Drinking Water Quality Information
Valley Water tests water from its treatment plants, reservoirs, and groundwater basin. The district states that its treated water consistently meets or exceeds applicable water quality regulatory standards. Its laboratory and groundwater protection work address both the quality of treated supplies and threats to the groundwater resource.
The Water Quality section organizes information under “How We Clean Your Water” and “Protecting Your Water.” These sections explain treatment, improvements at the three treatment plants, water quality reports, contaminants monitored by the laboratory, and efforts to protect water supplies from contamination.
For a question about drinking water or tap water, Access Valley Water provides a corresponding request category. When reviewing the published information, distinguish the district’s treatment and monitoring work from the retailer’s service-area information. The retailer directory identifies different sources and treatment methods within the county; one neighborhood’s supply information should not be assumed to describe every other neighborhood.
Flood Risk and Household Preparation
Valley Water reduces flood risk by managing creeks, reservoirs, and flood protection infrastructure. Its stream maintenance work includes removing sediment, stabilizing banks, and managing vegetation. These activities help waterways carry stormwater, but parts of Santa Clara County remain susceptible to flooding each year.
The district’s flood preparedness information explains how to assess property risk, prepare a household plan, obtain emergency alerts, and protect property before a storm. Flooding can affect properties away from creeks, so proximity to a waterway alone does not establish a property’s risk.
Flood Maps and Property Questions
A FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area identifies an area of elevated flood risk. Flood maps show the relationship between a property and mapped hazard areas. A local floodplain manager can help determine whether a property is inside or outside such an area and may have additional information about flood depths, historical flooding, or hazards beyond those shown on the map.
Valley Water’s Community Projects Review provides additional map-reading services. Construction within a Special Flood Hazard Area has special permit requirements administered by local government. Questions about those requirements belong with the local floodplain manager before construction or property upgrades begin.
Emergency Plans, Alerts, and Sandbags
AlertSCC is Santa Clara County’s official emergency alert and warning system. It delivers alerts to a mobile device, landline, or email address. Valley Water recommends using these alerts alongside local, state, and federal warnings and monitoring county and city announcements.
A household emergency plan should identify a meeting place, a safe route to higher ground, emergency contacts inside and outside the area, and arrangements for people with special needs and pets. Write down the plan and share it with household members. The district recommends a three-day emergency kit with supplies, nonperishable food, and at least one gallon of water per person per day.
Valley Water offers free filled sandbags to county residents. Loose sand and empty bags for self-filling are also available at various locations; bring a shovel when using a self-fill location. The district’s website provides sandbag location information.
Never walk or drive through flooded areas or go around barriers blocking a flooded road. Floodwater can conceal hazards and contain contamination. Valley Water’s flood information also points users to rain, stream, and reservoir sensor data, while cautioning that raw real-time data is preliminary.
Creek Blockages, Dumping, and Pollution
Creek maintenance concerns and pollution reports have different district contacts. A blockage involving wood or debris belongs with the watershed maintenance service. Pollution in a creek, pond, or reservoir belongs with the Pollution Hotline, which operates 24 hours a day. Access Valley Water also accepts reports about these issues.
Dumping into streams affects water quality and habitat and can create blockages that increase flood risk. The district asks the public to report someone dumping anything into a creek or river through the Pollution Hotline. Keeping this reporting route distinct from a general water-quality question helps direct the concern to the appropriate service.
Valley Water owns approximately one-third of the county’s more than 800 miles of creeks and rivers. Its stream stewardship and flood protection responsibilities should therefore not be read as ownership of every waterway. The portal’s streams, creeks, rivers, and waterways category provides a route for district-related questions about these locations.
Conservation Rebates and Landscape Surveys
Valley Water offers conservation tools, rebates, and surveys for homes and businesses. The Rebates & Surveys page separates opportunities by program type, including landscape rebates, graywater rebates, agricultural assistance, commercial and facility rebates, and submeter and private well rebates.
Outdoor survey programs include Water Wise Outdoor Surveys and Free Large Landscape Surveys. The district also promotes a free water-wise survey for residential irrigation. It notes that landscaping accounts for about half of the water used at residential sites on average and that seasonal irrigation checkups help assess system efficiency.
The program categories address different kinds of properties and equipment. Review the individual program information corresponding to your proposed project rather than treating the general rebate directory as a single application. Questions about conservation information and programs can go to the conservation telephone contact or the portal’s rebates and water-saving services category.
Wholesale Charges and District Payments
The Current Water Charges page covers wholesale and groundwater-related charges. These are different from the retail charges shown on most household water bills. Valley Water receives revenue primarily from property taxes, well owners, agricultural water customers, and retailers.
The district’s fiscal year 2026–27 adopted water charges took effect July 1, 2026. Its annual public review process establishes charges for the coming year, supported by financial and water supply information in the Protection and Augmentation of Water Supplies report.
Groundwater charges are organized into four benefit zones. Zone W-2 covers the Santa Clara Subbasin in North County. In South County, Zone W-5 covers the Llagas Subbasin, Zone W-7 covers Coyote Valley, and Zone W-8 covers areas in the foothills southeast of Uvas and Chesbro reservoirs. Operations, infrastructure, and rate structures are separate for each zone.
The district provides a Payment Hotline and a separate mailing address for accounts receivable and payments. That district payment address is different from its general correspondence address and vendor invoice address. Questions about a household retailer bill should go to the retailer rather than being treated as a Valley Water payment inquiry.
Board Meetings and Public Participation
Seven elected board members provide leadership and oversight for Valley Water. The Board Meetings, Agendas & Minutes page provides meeting materials, calendars, agenda notifications, and access to live and archived meeting videos.
The public may participate by teleconference, videoconference, or in person. Remote participation uses the electronic meeting link posted on the agenda. During a video-conferenced meeting, speakers use the “Raise Hand” function. In-person speakers complete a Request to Speak Card and submit it to the Clerk of the Board. In-person participants must comply with the district’s meeting decorum ordinance.
Written comments on a specific agenda item may be submitted through the Agenda Item Comment Form or by email to clerkoftheboard@valleywater.org. Comments should be submitted by 10 a.m. on the meeting day. Regular meeting agendas and staff reports are posted 11 days before the meeting; amended agendas and supplemental information are posted on the preceding Friday. Special meeting agendas and staff reports are generally posted 72 hours before the meeting.
Office Visits and Mailing Destinations
The district’s Contact Us page provides office directions, holiday closures, and separate mailing destinations. Offices close on the holidays identified there, including the Friday after Thanksgiving. Review that information when planning an office visit.
USPS correspondence goes to the district’s Almaden Expressway mailing address. Express-carrier packages go to Winfield Warehouse. Vendor invoices and accounts payable correspondence have their own post office box, separate from accounts receivable and payments. Matching the mailing destination to the purpose of the correspondence avoids using a payment address for a general inquiry or sending an express package to the USPS destination.
Valley Water Offices and Contacts
Santa Clara Valley Water District
5750 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA 95118-3686
408-265-2600
Santa Clara Valley Water District Winfield Warehouse
5905 Winfield Blvd., San Jose, CA 95123-2428
Santa Clara Valley Water District Accounts Receivable/Payments
PO Box 20130, San Jose, CA 95160-0130
Water Conservation Information and Programs
408-630-2554
Pollution Hotline
888-510-5151
Watershed Field Maintenance
408-630-2378
Community Projects Review
408-630-2650
Well Permits/Inspections
408-630-2660
Water Production Statements
408-630-2770
Payment Hotline
408-630-2270
Valley Water District FAQs
Does renters insurance cover flood damage?
Do not assume your renters or homeowners policy covers flooding. Valley Water’s flood insurance guidance explains that most standard policies do not cover flood damage. The National Flood Insurance Program offers renters flood insurance for personal belongings. Renters should also ask their landlord whether the building has flood coverage; protection for the building and protection for your possessions address different needs. A flood insurance policy typically has a 30-day waiting period before coverage begins, so purchasing it just before a storm may leave you without coverage for that event.
Where are neighborhood construction and trail notices?
The In Your Neighborhood page directs visitors to neighborhood work notices and traffic or trail impacts. The supplied page states that its main links are still in progress and tells users to check the menu at left. If the main content does not show a notice, check that navigation before assuming there are no construction impacts. Look for information matching the project or location you plan to visit.
What do the abbreviations in water charge tables mean?
In Valley Water’s official water charge tables, “AF” means acre-feet, “Ag” means agricultural, and “Non-Ag” means municipal and industrial. The total surface water charge combines the basic user charge with the water master charge. Treated water totals instead combine the basic user charge with either a contract or non-contract surcharge. Read the applicable category and its notes together when comparing charges; the basic user charge alone is not the total for these categories.
Can residents help care for local creeks?
Yes. Valley Water’s Adopt-A-Creek program information invites Santa Clara County residents to help preserve local waterways. Follow the Adopt-A-Creek section for program details rather than assuming that participation allows unrestricted maintenance work. The supplied information describes an opportunity for community involvement but does not specify enrollment requirements, equipment, or permitted activities.