Updated: Los Gatos Residents Worry About Spills Into Lexington Reservoir

Los Gatos residents who live near Lexington Reservoir are expressing concern about hydraulic spills into the body of water and how they affect Santa Clara County's sewage disposal system requirements.

Residents who live in the Los Gatos Mountains must pay to obtain a permit from the Santa Clara County Department of Health to construct, reconstruct, or repair on-site sewage disposal system.

Permits are only issued in county areas where a sanitary sewer is not available within 300 feet of the property line, or within 200 feet of the building in some towns.

The residents' concerns come almost a year after the Santa Clara Valley Water District reported hydraulic fluid leaks in Lexington and other local reservoirs during eight of 350 routine tests of their intake valves.

On Jan. 12, 2012, the California Department of Fish and Game submitted a formal complaint to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office alleging the water district violated state water pollution laws.

The amount of separate fluid leaks ranged from 5 to 30 gallons, a total of 107 gallons from the eight leaks, the district said in a press release.

In each occurrence, a cleanup was conducted promptly, and there were no environmental impacts and no impact to drinking water quality. All reservoir water is treated, cleaned and tested before delivery to customers, the release stated.

Dams such as Lexington undergo regular preventative maintenance to ensure they are operated safely, the district said, adding that it has taken precautions to minimize the possibility of leaks.

The agency added it's replaced many components over the years. To minimize the impact of leaks, a biodegradable hydraulic fluid called Chevron Clarity is used at nine of its 10 reservoirs, the release stated.

At Lexington Reservoir, the fluid is called Panolin and its MSDS is located here, the district said.

Los Gatos resident Rich Binell, who lives on Montevina Road in the Lexington Basin, explained every house whose property drains into the body of water has strong and stringent requirements on how to handle their septic systems.

"The county is afraid of polluting Lexington ... if you buy a house in the area, the largest addition you can add on is 500 feet," Binell said.

However, Binell said, when the water district and San Jose Water dump hydraulic fluid into the lake, "It's a big hush-hush thing and noboby seems to care ... it kind of p----- off those of us trying to follow the septic guidelines."

Binell added many residents in the affected area, from Summit Road to Lexington Dam, are also upset that the water company and the district, supposed to be the stewards of the water in the lake have been dripping into the lake for years.

Other residents say the system that allows water out of the lake has malfunctioned to the point where leakages have occurred both into the lake and into the Los Gatos Creek.

The homeowners explained there's no septic system in the area, except on Beardsley Canyon.

"They're putting a lot of pressure on individual homeowners to keep the water clean. It seems to be no management by the county of the water district and San Jose Water Company," Binell said.

San Jose Water Company spokesman John Tang said his agency has never experienced hydraulic spills and employs the utmost care in its operations to ensure the protection of the environment.

The San Jose-based district manages an integrated water resources system that includes the supply of clean, safe water, flood protection and stewardship of streams for 1.8 million residents in Santa Clara County.

During the Nov. 6, 2012 election, voters approved Measure B, a $548 million parcel tax to fund flood control, environmental cleanup and other water district projects until the year 2028.

The recent concerns also come at a time of increased scrutiny over the water district's management, whose board of directors have raised water rates for the past 10 years and give high salaries to many of their top department heads.