"Calera" is the Spanish word for limekiln or limestone quarry. In 1935, the Santa Clara Valley Water Conservation District obtained land for the proposed Calero Reservoir from the Newman brothers. They had operated a ranch since they purchased the land in 1905 from the Bailey family, who owned 873 acres in what was then known as Calero Valley. Calero dam and reservoir is one of the six original reservoirs approved for construction by voters in May 1934. The dam and reservoir are located on Calero Creek. The 2.2-miles-long reservoir can store 9,934 acre-feet of water. Its surface area is 349 acres.*
Water from Calero Reservoir is provided directly to drinking water treatment plants where it is treated and tested for safety. The water is then distributed to water retailers to be sold to the county’s 1.7 million residents. Calero also captures and stores winter runoff to recharge groundwater basins, helps store water from the nearby Almaden Reservoir watershed and accepts imported
Construction in progress on Calero Dam, Sept. 12, 1935.
Projects:
*Reservoir storage values have been updated to reflect recent survey results.