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As best practice, public water agencies prudently plan for regional water supply needs and carefully piece together resilient portfolios of various water supply sources. Zone 7 is no different.
Our agency plans for and delivers safe and reliable water to over a quarter of a million residents in eastern Alameda County. We do this primarily by importing surface water through the State Water Project, a vast system that captures and moves water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to communities across the state.
The State Water Project is the backbone of California water infrastructure, delivering water supply, protecting against floods, generating clean hydropower, providing recreational opportunities and environmental benefits, and driving California’s economy.
The State Water Project supplies water to 27 million people and 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland. This water supply supports an economy that provides 8.7 million full-time jobs, provides for 800,000 businesses, and employs 160,000 farmworkers. The agricultural land irrigated by the SWP water produces $19 billion in crops and agricultural products every year.
A significant 70% of our Tri-Valley water comes from the State Water Project. This imported water is delivered to our neighbors in the Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton and Dougherty Valley communities.
We have studied other alternatives to augment State Water Project supplies, but the state’s system remains the backbone of the Tri-Valley’s water supply and is a lifeline for the local economy. The State Water Project serves our homes and businesses, supports our Livermore Valley wine-growing region and helps us maintain a thriving economy, including more than $300 billion in assessed property value.
And while Zone 7 uses stored supplies, including local groundwater, to sustain our community during droughts, it’s important to understand that the stored supplies were imported through the State Water Project prior to use. For example, during the most recent drought (2020 to 2022), approximately 60% of the total water used by the Tri-Valley came from previously stored State Water Project supplies.
In addition, our retail water agencies in the cities of Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton produce recycled water that made up approximately 12% of our regional needs over the past 10 years. During the 2020-2022 drought, recycled water made up 15% of total water use. But recycled water needs a source to blend with and treat. For our region, the primary source is the State Water Project.
It’s too easy – and irresponsible – to dismiss the State Water Project as the crucial water source that it is for the Tri-Valley and the state of California. The SWP maintains our community’s way of life, and we must continue to support it and invest in it.
Over time, various factors, including aging infrastructure and a changing climate, have resulted in significant reductions in the reliability of the State Water Project. Recent estimates by the California Department of Water Resources show that the State Water Project could lose up to an additional 23% of its supply in the next 20 years if we fail to modernize.
For these reasons, Zone 7 continues to support investment in and modernization of the State Water Project. We are supporters of the Delta Conveyance Project, the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program and other efforts to invest in and modernize the State Water Project. We also recognize that these investments will have cost implications for our ratepayers.
Given the importance of the State Water Project to the state and to our region, our own data and analysis demonstrates that these supplies are critical for drought mitigation and maintaining a sustainable groundwater basin that supports the economic vitality that the Tri-Valley enjoys.
Don’t be misled by political stunts and hyperbole – no other alternative can match the volume, quality and reliability of State Water Project supplies.
Editor’s note: Valerie Pryor is general manager of the Zone 7 Water Agency.
Pleasanton police vehicle, other car involved in injury collision at intersection near downtownJanuary 17, 2026 8:21 pm