The lawsuit settled this month by Valley Water with more than 200 property owners along Coyote Creek stemmed from a February 2017 flood when the Anderson Dam in Morgan Hill overflowed, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents in South San Jose.

Drought conditions in California remain at record highs, with most of the state now classified in “extreme” or “exceptional” drought, and much of the Bay Area north of San Jose last week was included in the most severe “exceptional drought” zone.

Starting July 1, the average county resident will pay an additional $4.30 to $4.82 per month in their water bill. 

The badly needed project to retrofit the Anderson Dam directly threatens several thousand coyote ceanothus plants.

Valley Water began draining the reservoir in October in response to a directive from federal regulators aiming to expedite the dam retrofit.

Assembly Bill 3005 would have hastened the rebuild and strengthening of Anderson Dam, which is long overdue for a seismic retrofit.

The fish—classified as threatened species—needed to be relocated before the agency starts to drain Anderson Dam on Oct. 1.

The board chair of Valley Water says avoiding disruptions has been a priority for the agency since its founding a century ago.

Unless the Valley Water board rejects the request for “an endless tax,” voters should reject the agency’s parcel tax measure this fall.

AB 3005, dubbed the Expedited Dam Safety for Silicon Valley Act, was authored by Assemblyman Robert Rivas (D-Hollister).

The Expedited Dam Safety for Silicon Valley Act on May 15 passed the Assembly’s Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.

Federal engineers have ordered the water district to speed up plans to drain and earthquake-proof the South County dam.

Maintenance staff took advantage of the dry weather earlier this week by finishing up some upgrades at the base of the dam.

Valley Water officials say the agency needs continued public support support in order to reduce flood risks along South Bay waterways.

The Anderson Dam earthquake-proofing project will take at least two years longer and cost much more than initially planned.

In preparation for a series of storms, local agencies have stocked up on sandbags and are monitoring rivers and creeks for debris blockages.