The water in Santa Clara County is safe to drink, assured a spokesperson for the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
Half of Santa Clara County's water comes from the Sacramento- San Joaquin River Delta, and citizens may have read reports of water contamination as flood waters inundated the area, said water district spokesperson Teddy Morse.
The district normally gets much of its water from the Sacramento Delta via the South Bay Aqueduct, but since the flooding of the Delta and concerns over water purity, the district is not taking water from that source, Morse said.
"The acqueduct water may be perfectly safe," Morse said, "but we're currently taking water from the San Felipe Project."
Though this water also originates in the delta, it was stored in San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, well south of the delta, before the January storms, Morse said.
In addition, the district operates a ground water system which provides water to municipal and private companies in Santa Clara County.
The district tests and monitors water quality at three treatment plants located in the county, Morse said.
If citizens have questions about their water supply, they are encouraged to contact the Santa Clara Valley Water District at 265-2600, or San Jose Water Company at 279-7884.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, January 15, 1997.
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