Sierra Water for Tracy

South County Surface Water Supply Project

What is the South County Surface Water Supply Project?

The South County Surface Water Supply Project is a project to supply the cities of Tracy, Lathrop, Manteca and Escalon with water from the South San Joaquin Irrigation District. The project includes construction of a new water treatment plant at Woodward Reservoir and pipelines to supply water to the cities.

When will the project be constructed?

The project could be on line as soon as 2005. Currently the project is under construction.

Why is this project important to Tracy?

Reliability in Water Supply

The source of supply for the project is the Stanislaus River. The City's existing surface water supply is from the Delta. While problems have not been encountered to date, there is potential for a variety of water quality problems in the Delta making the water unsuitable for municipal use. These include levee failures, toxic spills, and salinity. The second source of surface water supply greatly increases water system reliability for the residents of Tracy.

Increased Reliability With Multiple Water Treatment Plants

The project will construct a water treatment plant located at Woodward Reservoir. Serving Tracy with a second water treatment plant provides redundancy to the existing Tracy water treatment plant. In the event of a mechanical failure, extended electrical power outage, or treatment process upset, a second water treatment plant serving the City would ensure a continuous supply of treated water. The South County Surface Water Supply Project provides redundancy in providing treated drinking water to the community.

Improvement in Water Quality

The project uses Stanislaus River water which is very high quality. Tracy's existing water supply is heavily mineralized and occasionally has taste and odor problems resulting from algae blooms in the Delta. Delivering the project water to Tracy will greatly improve the aesthetic quality of treated water for Tracy residents.

Additional Water to Meet Increasing Demand

Tracy needs an additional water supply to meet water demand. The project provides water for the community.