As part of National Ground Water Awareness Week, the Santa Clara Valley Water District is encouraging all residents to ponder the importance of our largest water reservoir-which is right beneath our feet.
“Groundwater is our most critical local asset for ensuring adequate water supplies now and in the future. Keep in mind that we live on top of our drinking water – if you don’t want to drink it, don’t put it on or in the ground,” said Tony Estremera, chairman of the Santa Clara Valley Water District board of directors.
To emphasize the significance of groundwater, the water district board of directors commemorated March 11 – 17 as National Ground Water Awareness Week.
Groundwater is a hidden supply of water that flows beneath the surface through small pores and cracks in rock and soil.
About half of Santa Clara County’s annual drinking water supply comes from groundwater basins, and yet many people do not realize the impact their actions have on this precious resource. In South County, groundwater is the sole source of drinking water.
However, natural groundwater recharge is insufficient to meet groundwater pumping and, therefore, the water district has an artificial recharge program. In fact, the primary function of most above-ground reservoirs in the county is to capture and store water, which is later released for groundwater recharge. Local groundwater basins can store more than three times the amount of water that can be stored in all 10 of our local reservoirs combined.
