Nature lovers, walkers and joggers will join city and water
district officials Saturday morning at 10 a.m. to open a new public
trail, expanding the use of a 29-acre groundwater recharge area at
Hill and San Pedro avenues.
Nature lovers, walkers and joggers will join city and water district officials Saturday morning at 10 a.m. to open a new public trail, expanding the use of a 29-acre groundwater recharge area at Hill and San Pedro avenues.
The general public is invited to see the San Pedro Ponds Walking Trails created by an agreement between the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the City of Morgan Hill, with encouragement from the San Pedro Ponds Park Trails Public Access Committee.
Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy will introduce water district Director Rosemary Kamei and Councilman Steve Tate before unveiling a plaque that will be placed at the ponds. The entrance to the trails is on Hill Road across from Sundance Court, on the city’s east side.
The primary use of the San Pedro groundwater recharge ponds will not change. The ponds receive water imported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers Delta that is used to replenish the Llagas Subbasin – South County’s primary source of drinking water. Recharging occurs through a natural process of capturing local rainwater, which then percolates down, far beneath the valley floor, to a thick rocky layer of soil that can store vast amounts of water. This sub-basin supplies 100 percent of the water to Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy.
Because the ponds’ banks are steep (the seven ponds average about 15 feet deep), the surrounding trails will be fenced, and pedestrians will be required to stay within the marked trails. Although public access to the ponds themselves is prohibited, trail walkers will be able to observe the vast number of migrating birds finding refuge in the pond areas.
As part of the water district and city agreement, the district will maintain the groundwater recharge capabilities of the ponds, which will require occasional maintenance to ensure optimal recharge to the underground water basin. Meanwhile, city staff will maintain the trails free of trash, with periodic pick-up assisted by volunteer efforts.
