Pacheco/Santa Clara Conduit Right-of-Way Acquisition Project

Pacheco/Santa Clara Conduit Right-of-Way Acquisition Project

The Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) proposes to improve pipe vault maintenance and repair access for District work crews through formal agreements with landowners and implement cost-effective physical improvements to vaults and above-ground maintenance sites along the Santa Clara (SCC) and Pacheco (PC) conduits located within Santa Clara and San Benito Counties. The project pipeline is owned by the Federal Bureau of Reclamation and requires a separate federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) approval of its Environmental Assessment (EA) documentation. The proposed Project would include acquisition of easements and/or installing/constructing one new all-weather access path to SCC 8, and/or installing/constructing gravel collars, driveways, gates, signs, and/or implementing new travel routes near some of the 37 vaults on the existing SCC and PC conduits Some of the vaults have more than one project element (e.g., could be any combination of easement acquisition, implementation of a new travel route, installation/construction of one new gravel path to SCC 8, installation/construction of a new gravel collar, installation/construction of a new driveway, installation/construction of new gates, installation/construction of new fence sections, or installation/construction of one new sign) as specified in the MND. The proposed Project involves the District obtaining easements from private landowners at ten (10) Santa Clara Conduit Vault locations and construction of one (1) new path to provide all-weather access to vault site SCC 8. Another project element would be to install new gravel collars around existing 20 vaults to allow for safe access by maintenance personnel. The gravel collars would generally measure 32-feet x 32-feet or smaller. Valley Water will construct five (5) new driveways to provide access from public roads to the vault locations. The District would construct one new sign. Sixteen (16) new gates will be constructed near public roads to provide controlled access to vaults. The improvements (obtaining easements and new construction), would allow new operational methods of pipeline and vault access and maintenance in areas where existing access is currently limited. The use of District all-terrain vehicles (operational change) would reduce or minimize the impacts from larger vehicles during periods of wet or limiting conditions.

Gilroy, Morgan Hill

San Benito, Santa Clara

Northern California, San Francisco Bay Area, Southern California, Unincorporated

Water Facilities (Improve pipe vault maintenance and repair access for crews)(Type pipeline/vaults)

Biological Resources, Wildfire, Wildlife, Cultural Resources/Paleontological Resources

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Delta Region 3 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region 4 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Transportation, District 5 (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region 3 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Department of Toxic Substances Control, Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, District 5, State Water Resources Control Board, Divison of Financial Assistance, California Department of Transportation, District 4 (DOT)

California Department of Transportation, District 4 (DOT)