Anderson Lake (California)
| Anderson Lake | |
| reservoir | |
 |
|
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| County | Santa Clara |
| District | Santa Clara Valley Water District |
| City | Morgan Hill, California |
| River | Coyote Creek |
| Coordinates | 37°9.9′N 121°37.8′W / 37.1650°N 121.6300°WCoordinates: 37°9.9′N 121°37.8′W / 37.1650°N 121.6300°W |
Anderson Lake, informally called Anderson Reservoir, is an artificial lake along Coyote Creek in Santa Clara County, California, United States, near Morgan Hill. Anderson Dam was built in the 1950s to provide drinking water for Santa Clara County; the lake has also become a place for recreation for nearby residents. The dam and lake were named after the key founder and first president of the water district, Leroy Anderson. Anderson Lake is the largest artificial lake in Santa Clara County.
The 4,275-acre Anderson Lake County Park surrounds the reservoir and provides fishing ("catch and release" due to mercury contamination), picnicking, and hiking activities. Boating, water-skiing and jet-skiing are permitted in the reservoir.
The 235-foot high earthen Leroy Anderson Dam sits on Cochrane Road, east of Morgan Hill, and along the Calaveras Fault, which runs from Hollister to Milpitas. It holds 90,000 acre feet (110,000,000 m3) of water when full, more than the other nine reservoirs in the county combined.
In January 2009, a preliminary routine seismic study suggested a small chance that a large-magnitude earthquake (6.6 with the dam at the epicenter, or 7.2 up to a mile away) could result in flooding in Morgan Hill and as far away as San Jose. In response, the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) lowered the water level to 74 percent of capacity and announced further analysis of the situation, which could possibly result in retrofitting the dam if necessary. Updated findings in October, 2010 indicated that the dam could fail if a magnitude 7.25 earthquake occurred within 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of the dam, potentially releasing a wall of water 35 feet (11 m) high into downtown Morgan Hill in 14 minutes, and 8 feet (2.4 m) deep into San Jose within three hours. In response SCVWD has lowered the water to 54% full, which is 60 feet (18 m) feet below the dam crest.
In July 2011 SCVWD issued a report stating that the seismic stability study on Anderson Dam was completed. The storage restriction that has been in place since October 2010 was adjusted, allowing 12 additional feet of storage, which measures 68 percent of the dam's capacity, up from 57 percent. The water district has initiated a capital project for a seismic retrofit by the end of 2018. The operating restriction will remain in place until the project is completed. According to the SCVWD, remediation of the problem will cost as much as US$100 million.
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