West Valley Watershed Master Plan

About

Valley Water conducts comprehensive planning to ensure its projects and programs meet watershed management goals. Watershed Master Plans are now underway for the West Valley and Lower Peninsula watersheds.

Background

Valley Water’s mission is to provide Silicon Valley safe, clean water for a healthy life, environment, and economy. As water management challenges are exacerbated by factors such as climate change, urban growth, and water supply concerns, Valley Water must strategically allocate resources to actions that achieve its mission and the needs of the community most effectively. The Watershed Master Plans provide guidance on an integrated approach to water management in each of Santa Clara County’s five watersheds. These plans draw from and align with existing plans and policies, but also seek new opportunities to reflect community values, improve watershed health, and integrate environmental stewardship into everything Valley Water does.

Valley Water’s Watershed Master Planning, previously referred to as One Water, consist of: 1) a countywide framework to develop the vision, goals, and objectives used across all watersheds, and 2) Watershed Master Plans specific to each of the five watersheds located within Santa Clara County. Valley Water has completed Master Plans for the Upper Pajaro, Guadalupe, and Coyote Creek watersheds and is now developing the final two plans for the West Valley and Lower Peninsula watersheds. We seek input from interested parties at all stages of the planning process to create plans that speak best to all water resource needs.

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West Valley Watershed

Map: West Valley Watershed. Santa Clara Valley Water District

The West Valley Watershed covers approximately 85 square miles and is the smallest of the five major watersheds in Santa Clara County. Located in the northwest region, it sits just south of the Lower Peninsula watershed. The major cities within the boundaries of West Valley include Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and Palo Alto. The main creek systems are Sunnyvale East and West Channels, Calabazas Creek, and San Tomas-Saratoga Creeks. Like the Lower Peninsula Watershed, creeks flow north down the eastern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains into the tidal wetlands of south San Francisco Bay. Although there are many open-space areas and public parklands, particularly in the headwaters and mid-region of West Valley, the area southwest of Highway 85 is densely urban and accommodates mostly residential and commercial land uses.