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Red Phone, a few weeks ago your paper ran a very interesting
article about retrofitting of Anderson Dam to withstand a strong
earthquake in its vicinity.Will Anderson Reservoir be fillable
after these repairs? Are similar efforts planned for Coyote
Reservoir, which is similarly underfilled?
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“Red Phone, a few weeks ago your paper ran a very interesting article about retrofitting of Anderson Dam to withstand a strong earthquake in its vicinity. The article made a passing reference to the Coyote Dam and reservoir, and how both are kept from filling due to perceived weaknesses in a severe quake. Will Anderson Reservoir be fillable after these repairs? Are similar efforts planned for Coyote Reservoir, which is similarly underfilled?”
Red Phone: Dear All Shook Up, Red Phone contacted Marty Grimes, a spokesman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, who said yes, Anderson will be able to be filled to capacity – which is 90.373 acre feet – once the rehabilitation project is complete. To put that in perspective, one acre foot can provide water for a family of five for one year. The current level of Anderson Reservoir is 54,142 acre feet, as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, or about 60 percent of capacity.
Coyote Reservoir is a different story.
“The Calaveras Fault is located directly under the dam,” Grimes said. “With today’s safety standards and knowledge about earthquake faults, we have not yet conceived of a rehabilitation project that could make Coyote Dam safe enough to fill the reservoir to capacity.”
Coyote is currently at 11,641 acre feet or about 50 percent of capacity.
Hope that answers your questions, good caller. See you on the lake.
Walk signal time seems very short
“I walk downtown several times each week requiring me to cross Butterfield Boulevard at East Main Avenue. The walk sign lasts for only five seconds or so, not enough time to cross the street. Is there a reason the time is so short?”
Red Phone: Dear Is There a Reason, the walk signs only last for a few seconds to discourage pedestrians from crossing late and getting caught in the middle. If you leave the curb when the walk sign starts flashing you will have time to cross the street, despite the fact that it starts flashing red about halfway through the intersection.
Hope that helps, good caller.
