Infrastructure
Making sure that our customers have safe, clean and reliable water service means that our water system must be maintained and upgraded as time goes by. In our approximately 140-square-mile service area, there are 2,400 miles of water mains, 106 tank and reservoirs, 20,143 hydrants, and 35,143 valves - that’s a lot of infrastructure!
SJW continues its commitment to maintaining and improving our water system, investing almost $120 million a year to ensure we can safely and efficiently serve customers now and for the next 100 years. Here’s an overview of our key projects.
Beginning in January 2020, San Jose Water launched a multi-year project to improve the storage facilities at our Columbine Station.
This capital improvement project demolished the existing earthen-embankment reservoir built in 1963 — replacing it with two 5 million gallon pre-stressed concrete water storage tanks. The original facility has reached the end of its useful life.
All water companies regulated by the CPUC are required to file a General Rate Case (GRC) every three years to ensure that rates accurately reflect the cost of providing service. In the GRC process, the CPUC sets rates to cover the costs of providing water — allowing us to earn a reasonable return on our investment in the water system.
We currently deploy the Echologics Echoshore-DX cellular fixed leak monitoring system, which uses acoustic technology to locate leaks throughout the system. By placing sensors on fire hydrants, the sounds generated by leaks on pipes up to 12 inches in diameter can be detected and analyzed. Other technologies are used to support our technicians as they pinpoint the location of leaks in the field.
Learn more about this project that involved replacing 2100 feet of 16-inch case iron main on a very busy street.
Main Investments
SJW is constantly working to improve water delivery to our customers. We have over 2,400 miles of main pipelines in its system a year and we renew 24 miles of mains a year.
San Jose Water is committed to providing safe, high-quality, reliable water. To ensure this, we continually invest in our system and upgrade older infrastructure.
Pipes have a useful life of 100 years or less. We have made a commitment to replace 1% of our system or 24 miles of pipes annually to meet that 100-year turnover. Over the past decade, we have invested more than $1 billion in capital infrastructure on behalf of the communities we serve.
Our Mt. Hamilton main replacement project started the week of February 6, 2023 and is expected to run through May. Click here for information on road closure impacts.
Infrastructure Spotlight: Belgatos Tank
Advanced Leak Detection Program