California’s central coast is home to the San Felipe Division of the federal Central Valley Project. Authorized in the 1960s and completed in 1988, San Felipe Division includes a 5.3-mile-long tunnel (the Pacheco Tunnel), pumping plant and other conduits.

It transports water west from the Central Valley’s San Luis Reservoir near Los Banos to supply Santa Clara and the high-tech Santa Clara Valley as well as parts of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties.

San Felipe Division water mainly benefits municipal and industrial users. Smaller amounts are used for irrigation and groundwater recharge.