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On Monday, the news broke that the federal government ordered Anderson Reservoir, the largest reservoir in Santa Clara County, to be completely drained starting Oct. 1 due to concerns that its aging dam could fail in an earthquake on the nearby Calaveras Fault.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District, which owns the 70-year-old earthen dam and has been working on a project to replace it for years, created a video last year showing what would happen if the dam collapsed when the reservoir was full.
The 240-foot earthen dam located east of Highway 101 between Morgan Hill and San Jose, was built in 1950. The water district has kept the dam roughly half full as a safety measure. But during particularly wet winters, such as 2017 when drenching storms caused flooding on Coyote Creek in downtown San Jose downstream, the reservoir has filled to the top quickly, posing a greater earthquake risk.
To read a full story about the government action, click here
