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Ways to cope with the area’s ever-present need for a reliable supply of water, the subject of the San Benito Urban Areas Water Supply and Treatment Master Plan, were outlined during a presentation to the San Juan Bautista City Council on Jan. 16 by Holly Kennedy and Steve Wittry of the San Benito County Water District.
The district manages water resources for the city of Hollister, the city of San Juan Bautista and San Benito County. It is also the Groundwater Sustainability Agency for the county.
According to the plan, annual water demand is expected to increase from 5,560 acre-feet a year (AFY) to 6,810 AFY by 2025; 9,190 AFY by 2035; and 12,500 AFY by 2045. An acre-foot (AF) is approximately 326,000 gallons.
Kennedy said the existing surface water sources, such as the local reservoirs, are insufficient to meet future demand.
“The update of water demand projections required revisiting growth in and around Hollister,” Kennedy said, “but it also adds in San Juan Bautista’s water demand projections. And in a severe drought period where we have a multi-year drought, the reliability of imported surface water is impacted.”
Kennedy offered six options for increasing surface water. One project, the B.F. Sisk Dam Safety of Dams Modification Project is already underway. It involves raising the height of the San Luis Reservoir’s dam by 10 feet. Intended more to fortify the earthen dam against earthquakes than to increase storage, it will still add 130,000 AF to the reservoir’s 2.04 million AF capacity. The project is scheduled for completion in 2032.
A second project, the expansion of the Pacheco Reservoir, is still in the planning stages. A collaboration between Valley Water, the San Benito County Water District, and the Pacheco Pass Water District, it will increase the capacity of the Pacheco Reservoir from 5,500 AF to as much as 140,000 AF, of which around 40,000 AF would be used to enhance fish flow in Pacheco Creek.
Other options for surface water storage being considered include demolishing the existing dam at the Hawkins Reservoir, north of Hollister, and rebuilding it to increase capacity from 575 AF to 6,600 AF; building a dam on Lone Tree Creek with a 6,000 AF capacity; expanding the San Justo Reservoir from 10,300 AF to 13,700 AF; and expanding the Paicines Reservoir from 2,870 AF to 5,470 AF.
Groundwater options, according to Kennedy, may involve retrieving underground water from an area north of Hollister and indirect use of potable water. That could account for between 1,000 and 2,000 AFY. She also said that demineralizing water from existing wells, which is already being done in San Juan by the innovative Microvi Water Treatment Plant, is also an option. On Jan. 27, 2023, the City Council voted to finalize a year-long agreement with Microvi, which can be renewed this year for a five-year term.
Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is another option for banking a limited amount of water, approximately 2,700 AFY, which would be stored by use of injection wells in five locations to recharge aquifers. This would allow for 1,035 AFY as needed when other resources are low. ASR projects have already been initially funded by over $13 million in grant awards ($1.8 million requiring a 50% match) plus another $9.2 million, requiring a 75% match, applied for last November. The projects could be completed by 2026.
Kennedy stressed the importance of keeping all options open to allow for greater flexibility and reliability as local demand for water continues to increase.
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