Meeting is scheduled Monday for those interested
Nature lovers, walkers and joggers got some good news recently when a joint use agreement between the City of Morgan Hill and the Santa Clara Valley Water District was approved.
The agreement allows for a dual use of a 29-acre percolation pond area at Hill Road and San Pedro Avenue, to be called the San Pedro Pond Park, and currently used solely as a groundwater recharge facility. With the encouragement of the local community, these public lands will be opened for public recreation early in 2004.
The San Pedro Ponds consists of seven percolation ponds that average about 15 feet in depth with steep banks. Pedestrians and bicycles will stay with-in the trails, fenced for public safety. Public access to the ponds is prohibited. The trails and ponds will also allow the public to view migrating birds that find refuge at the ponds.
The original purpose of the ponds will not change, but these public lands will be opened up for recreational trails use – though boating, fishing and swimming will not be allowed. The ponds help to recharge the Uvas/Llagas subbasin that supplies 100 percent of the water to Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District will maintain the groundwater recharge capabilities of the ponds. The ponds will require occasional maintenance to ensure optimal recharge to the underground water basin. The City of Morgan Hill will maintain the trails free of trash by periodic pick-up assisted by volunteer efforts.
The San Pedro Ponds trails needs volunteers to keep it clean, safe and enjoyable. Volunteers will be needed periodically to help keep this a trash free zone. Sponsors are also being sought to assist with some improvements to the trails area.
The San Pedro Groundwater Recharge Ponds are one of a series of groundwater recharge ponds in the South Valley.
Far beneath the valley floor lies a thick rocky layer of soil that can store vast amounts of water. Imported water from sources at the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta and our captured rain-water is percolated down to this aquifer to give us a renewable source of supply.
This underground reservoir, the Uvas – Llagas sub-basin, is the single source of water for this part of the county. Water is stored in the underground aquifer and is pumped by municipalities or water retailers who supply households of this community.
The water within the San Pedro Ground Water Recharge Ponds originates from the melting snowpack in the Sierra Nevada. Water from the melting snow flows to the Sacramento River delta where it is pumped by the federal water project to San Luis Reservoir on Highway 152 near Pacheco Pass. The San Felipe Pipeline through the mountains brings the water to the Santa Clara Valley and to this recharge pond.
Questions about this Joint Use Agreement, contact water district project manager, Marc Lucca at 265-2607, ext. 2984, or City of Morgan Hill Public Works Administrator Mori Struve at 776-7337, ext. 247.
To volunteer as a park helper or to help underwrite the cost of a tree or park bench to be placed in the park: Jon Hatakeyama, 370 W. Dunne Ave. Ste. #3, Morgan Hill, or 779-7391. Potential volunteers are invited to a planning meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, in Hatakeyama’s office.
