Wildfire Resilience
Protecting our water, our watersheds, and the communities we serve.
San Jose Water is committed to reducing wildfire risk, protecting critical water infrastructure and supporting public safety in the communities we serve. Across California, wildfires are becoming larger and more frequent, driven by a warming climate, decades of fuel buildup and more homes built near wildlands. Parts of our service area lie in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where neighborhoods meet open land. This region stretches from the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains to hillside neighborhoods along the edges of the valley. Many of the tanks, pump stations and pipelines that serve these communities sit in High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. So does the roughly 6,000 acres of watershed land we manage in the Los Gatos Creek and Saratoga Creek watersheds.
This is why we prepare for wildfire year-round. Through investments in our land and facilities, partnerships with fire agencies and neighbors, and ongoing planning and training, we work every day to build a more resilient water system and safer communities.
Our Wildfire Resilience Program takes a science-based, multi-layered approach with four goals:
- Reduce wildfire risk on the land and facilities we manage.
- Protect the quality of our source water before, during and after a fire.
- Keep water flowing to customers and firefighters during emergencies.
- Support safer, more resilient WUI communities across our service area.
We base decisions on data. We direct our work to where wildfire risk is highest and where it can be reduced effectively. To do this, we use fire behavior modeling, the state’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, and mapping of how exposed each part of our system is.
A cross-company task force runs the program. It brings together Engineering, Operations, Asset Management, Emergency Management, Legal, GIS and IT, Finance, Communications and Environmental teams.The task force meets regularly and reports to company leadership.
The program has five parts:
- Forest health and fuel reduction
- Protecting facilities in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where neighborhoods meet open land
- Early wildfire detection
- Strengthening infrastructure and supporting firefighters
- Emergency planning and partnerships
Healthy forests are resilient forests. They burn less severely, recover faster and better protect the streams and reservoirs that supply our water (vs. overgrown forests). Our forest health work also restores native habitat and supports the plants and wildlife that depend on this land.
Our Forest Health Program works on a landscape scale which includes:
- Thinning the understory (small trees and brush beneath the main canopy)
- Removing dead and dying trees, many killed by sudden oak death
- Controlling invasive plants
- Restoring native forest types where conifer encroachment has changed how fire behaves
The work is authorized under the state’s California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) and has full environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This allows us to carry out repeated treatments over many years responsibly. We also maintain areas we have already treated — earlier investments pay off. In addition, we help maintain a shaded fuel break along key evacuation routes.
Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaborative
Wildfire doesn’t stop at property lines, neither does our work. San Jose Water co-founded the Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaborative with:
- Santa Clara County FireSafe Council
- Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
- Santa Clara County Parks
- Auten Resource Consulting
Together, we are building a connected network of treatments across many landowners around Lexington Reservoir and its tributaries. The network links to other regional fuel breaks and evacuation route projects.
Many of the pump stations, tanks and other facilities which keep water flowing are in the wildland-urban interface. Our WUI Station Program keeps defensible space around these sites through:
- Standard operating procedures
- Vegetation management in three zones around each site
- Inspections recorded in our mapping system
- Regular maintenance cycles
Every minute counts when a fire starts. Our early detection network uses three layers:
- AI-enabled sensors
- Cameras
- Satellite monitoring
Together they help shorten the time between when a fire starts and when crews respond.
This network protects the whole county, not just San Jose Water’s land. Through our partnership with the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, detection sensors have been placed across the county. Our detection feed is shared with our partners and fire agencies.
No public water system is designed to fight large, wind-driven wildfires on its own. But we can make sure our system is as ready as possible, working hand-in-hand with fire agencies when fire strikes.
- Hydrant readiness: We inspect and maintain our hydrants under a risk-based program and gives priority to hydrants based on their condition and wildfire exposure. It was developed with input from fire agencies and partners.
- Strengthening infrastructure: We map how vulnerable each facility is and use this to set priorities. We also assess how much water the system can deliver for firefighting and evaluate backup power at critical facilities.
- Emergency planning: Our wildfire emergency plans follow the standard emergency management systems used by California and federal agencies. They include tiered activation, mutual aid with other utilities through CalWARN and regular exercises.
Wildfire can affect water quality long after the flames go out. When winter rains fall on burned slopes, they can wash soil, ash and debris into streams and reservoirs. Our forest health work helps limit how severely watershed lands burn, which reduces risk. We monitor our source water closely and adjust treatment as needed. The water we deliver continues to meet all state and federal drinking water standards.
Many wildfires start outside our watershed boundaries, so working with neighbors is essential.
Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. Our long-standing partnership with the FireSafe Council helps bring regional wildfire grants to our area. It also directs San Jose Water funding to community wildfire resilience, including support for local Firewise communities.
Neighborhood-scale resilience. We work with residents of wildland-urban interface neighborhoods on local wildfire resilience plans. These plans cover:
- Roadside vegetation management
- Improving evacuation routes
- Community outreach
Building the wildfire workforce. San Jose Water partners with a regional coalition to recruit and train people for careers in wildfire resilience, utility operations and natural resources.
California’s Senate Bill 1153 focuses on wildfire preparedness for water suppliers. It addresses four areas: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. San Jose Water’s program works in each of these areas.
The bill affirms that public water systems are built to deliver safe drinking water, not to serve as a wildfire suppression system. Large, wind-driven wildfires require a coordinated response from many agencies, using ground crews, aircraft and multiple water sources.
It also recognizes the preparedness work that water utilities like San Jose Water are already doing.
Is my tap water safe to drink during and after a wildfire?
Yes. We monitor water quality closely and can adjust treatment when conditions change. The water we deliver continues to meet all state and federal drinking water standards. If special precautions are ever needed, we will notify affected customers right away.
Will there be enough water to fight a wildfire?
Our system supplies water to hydrants across our service area, and we work with fire agencies to plan for firefighting needs. Large, wind-driven wildfires, however, require a coordinated response from many agencies, using ground crews, aircraft and multiple water sources.
Why does San Jose Water thin forests and remove trees?
Overgrown forests with dense brush and dead trees can fuel intense, fast-moving fires. Our treatments focus on removing small trees, brush, dead material and invasive plants while keeping large, healthy trees. The goal is a healthier forest more resilient to fire.
What should I do if I see smoke or fire?
Call 911 immediately. Don’t assume someone else has already reported it.
How will I hear about emergencies affecting my water service?
Make sure your contact information is up to date with San Jose Water so we can reach you. Sign up for your county’s emergency alerts.
Wildfire resilience is a shared responsibility. Here are a few steps every household can take:
- Create defensible space. Clear dry brush, trim trees and keep vegetation well maintained around your home.
- Sign up for emergency alerts. Register for Santa Clara County’s AlertSCC and keep your contact information current with San Jose Water.
- Make a plan. Know your evacuation routes and prepare an emergency kit, including stored drinking water.
- Get involved. Connect with the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council or a local Firewise community.