Water Blogged

At San Jose Water, customer service is a job that spans from assisting customers in understanding their water bills to overseeing the rollout of advanced metering technology, and everything in between. We had the chance to sit down with our newly appointed — though not new to SJW! — Director of Customer Service to learn a little more about her and her goals stepping into this new role. Read on for an employee spotlight Q&A with Director Sharon Whaley.

The two 5.1 million gallon water tanks are replacing a 19.6 million gallon earth embankment reservoir built in 1963, which was nearing the end of its useful life.  The new tanks will hold less water (the population has used less water over the last 30 years, despite 29% population growth).  Smaller tanks allow for the average age of water to be lower, helping water quality and taste.  In addition, having two tanks allows for taking one tank down during low usage periods for cleaning and repairs.

I’m Kurt Elvert, the Manager of Field Service and Conservation at San Jose Water. In my position, I oversee the field service department, which serves as our first responders when identifying water main breaks. I also oversee the conservation department, the meter shop department, the meter reading department, and our recycled water program.

San Jose Water is proud to announce that we have been awarded three prestigious Hermes Creative Awards for 2023.

Anyone who’s had the good fortune of paying a visit to SJW’s Meter Shop is likely acquainted with its friendly, dedicated and multi-talented Superintendent, Anh Tran.

I’m Colby Sneed, the Director of Operations and Treatment at San Jose Water. In my position, I oversee the production, treatment, transmission, and storage of your drinking water. My team and I manage all of the pumps, motors, control valves, tanks, and reservoirs to keep the water flowing through our infrastructure system.

I’m Suzanne DeLorenzo, the Director of Water Quality at San Jose Water. In my position, I'm responsible for making sure that your drinking water is the highest quality it can be. My work is essential to monitoring the quality and cleanliness of our water in terms of state and federal regulatory requirements. In 2021, our highly experienced staff collected more than 1,000 regulatory and non-regulatory samples from our distribution system and treatment plant, generating over 23,000 data points. This sampling is key to ensuring healthy water!

Mountain lions (also known as pumas and panthers), are an important apex predator in local and regional ecosystems. Recent studies of mountain lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains estimate that the population likely comprises less than 50 animals.