The San Lorenzo Valley Water District is on its way to preserving the valley’s drinking water for generations to come.
District environmental analyst Betsy Herbert completed the first part of a two-part watershed management plan that provides a detailed look at the sources of water in the San Lorenzo Valley.
“The overriding thing that comes out is the fact that the district owns a good deal of the land around the watershed,” Herbert said. “By owning and managing the land, we can really control what impacts the water supply.”
Logging, industrial and even residential pollution can make water treatment more complex, adding to the cost of supplying potable water.
“In other places, a lot of water utilities don’t control their watershed,” Herbert said.
The study took more than two years to complete and serves to define the San Lorenzo Valley watershed for district staff, board of directors and members of the public.
“This document is a great resource for the San Lorenzo Valley and the entire community,” said Fred McPherson, board president, in a media release “We all have a stake in keeping these public watershed lands healthy and protected.”
Part one of the report describes the 138-mile watershed area in the San Lorenzo Valley. It details the watershed’s history and current condition and describes work the district has done with the watershed, including why the district has purchased watershed land.
There is also timely information in the report.
“There is a whole chapter about climate change and how it might affect our watershed,” Herbert said.
The second part of the study — due in about a year, Herbert said — will define the district’s goals and objectives and how it will manage the watershed into the future.
The district previously completed a watershed management plan in 1985.
The report is available on the district Web site — www.slvwd.com — and printed copies can be requested through the district office for a fee.
