WATER SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION
The Water section is responsible for one of life's most valuable resources: drinking water. We provide service to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers assuring delivery of the highest quality of potable water serving most Sunnyvale residents and businesses. The Water section handles water quality, water conservation, system maintenance, backflow prevention, leak detection, and the recycled water program for the City of Sunnyvale and its residents. It is our intention to provide the best service possible and in achieving this goal, ensure that the strictest guidelines are used to deliver a reliable, high quality, drinking water supply to our customers.
Sources of Water Supply
The City of Sunnyvale has four different sources of water supply readily available: local groundwater from 8 operating wells, imported Central Valley Project and Delta water from the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), Hetch Hetchy, and Sunol Valley water supply from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), and recycled water produced at the Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control Plant for non-potable use. The first three sources meet all State and Federal drinking water quality standards. Recycled is used to meet strict State requirements for non-potable use wherever feasible to irrigate landscaping and meet any other acceptable watering needs under our permit with the Regional Water Quality Control Board. There are also about a dozen service area pockets in Sunnyvale receiving water from the California Water Service Company (CAL Water). Any questions regarding the source and delivery of water from CAL Water should be directed to their local office at (650) 917-0152.
S.F.P.U.C. SUPPLY
The City of Sunnyvale operates six connections from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Bay Division pipe lines. Over 80% of the SFPUC's water supply originates from reservoirs in and around Yosemite National Park. Hetch Hetchy reservoir water flows from the snowpack runoff in the Sierras across the Central Valley of our State. This is where it is blended with filtered water from other local water reservoirs, disinfected, and then comes through the Irvington Tunnel, and the local Bay Division pipe lines before enter the Sunnyvale water distribution system.
City of Sunnyvale Wells
The City owns, operates, and maintains seven wells that produce groundwater for our drinking water supply. The wells are used to help supplement the imported water supplies to aid in meeting peak demands in the summer months and during an emergency situation. Ground water obtained form these wells is taxed by SCVWD.
S.C.V.W.D. Supply
The City of Sunnyvale also maintains two points of contact for the delivery of imported water from Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) that serves the Southern end of our City. SCVWD receives water from the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project from the United States Bureau of Reclamation including water from the Sacramento River Delta, Anderson Lake, and San Luis Reservoir. This water is conveyed through a series of aqueducts to the Rinconada Water Treatment Plant in Los Gatos, then to the Sunnyvale area through their West Valley transmission main.
Water Quality
The City has instituted a comprehensive water quality-monitoring program that encompasses City-owned wells and all water purchased from the SFPUC and SCVWD. This program ensures all of our customers receive water that is in compliance with all regulatory criteria and that no maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) or maximum contaminant level goals (MCLGs) for regulated chemicals, bacteria, or pollutants are exceeded. For more information on water quality and the City's program call (408) 730-7510 or click here to view the current Water Quality Report.
