Water tank issue makes waves in community

By Daniel Wolowicz

danielw@theacorn.com

It was an evening of frustration that at times gave way to emotional outbursts from Oak Park community members.

During last week’s public meeting on a proposal to replace the water tank at Conifer Street, residents voiced their dissatisfaction with not only the project proposal, but with the way the Triunfo Sanitation District’s staff presented the material.

Triunfo is in the beginning stages of figuring out where to put a new water tank in Oak Park. The public comments will be used to help create an environmental impact report that the Triunfo board will use to determine the best course of action.

The new tank will cost nearly $3 million, according to Triunfo staff members. Officials also said they would like to begin the yearlong construction at the beginning of 2006.

There’s no completion date yet for the environmental report currently being handled by Venturabased Padre Associates.

The site targeted for the new tank is off Doubletree Road in Palo Comado Canyon on land that is owned by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. As part of the land sharing agreement, the park district is asking Triunfo to consider building a 10-to-12 car parking lot on Doubletree to service the canyon’s trailhead. Triunfo also would be required to pave the trail leading to the water tank.

The new tank site borders land owned by the National Parks Service.

Many felt the meeting’s lack of publicity and its inconvenient starttime at 4:30 p.m. made it difficult for residents to have their say. The crowd’s frustration led Triunfo board members to consider another scoping meeting, which may include a more comprehensive history of the project, as well as better notification.

Notice for the meeting was also posted on the website Oak Park Update since June 1, said Harvey Kern, the site’s editor.

The project to replace the water tank located above Conifer Street began in 1996 after experts found the aging 35-year-old tank did not hold enough reserve water in case of an emergency. The study, prepared by Boyle Engineering, looked at 30 different plans to improve the flow and storage of water in the Oak Park Water Service.

Because Oak Park receives its water from the Callegas Municipal Water District, which funnels water into the Conejo Valley from Northern California, reserve water is needed in case the pipeline is broken by a disaster or in the event of a major forest fire.

The study also revealed that the land the Conifer Tank sits on would not hold the tank if hit with a sizable earthquake. Because of this unexpected finding, the project engineers recommended that Triunfo move the tank to another location.

The new site above Doubletree is being considered because it satisfies both geological and elevation standards required for water tank construction. The new tank will hold 2.1 million gallons and is more than twice the size of the old structure.

Mark Capron, project manager for Triunfo’s parent organization Ventura Regional Sanitation District, said to build the tank at the Conifer location would require the deconstruction and then “repacking” of the hillside. That option, he said, is far more expensive than any proposal currently under review.

To get water from the proposed new tank, Triunfo has two options. The water agency can either buy existing pipeline from Calleguas for $800,000, or lay 4,800 feet of pipeline beneath Sunnycrest Drive from North Kanan Road. Capron said Triunfo and Calleguas are currently in discussions regarding the existing pipeline.

According to officials, a steel water tank similar to the Conifer tank has a lifespan of nearly 30 years. A concrete tank lasts up to 50 years.

Public comments primarily concerned the tank’s aesthetics, its impact on the environment, the fear that the parking lot would become a place for teens to drink alcohol, and how the structure would affect home values in the area.

In addition, residents wanted Triunfo staff members to present a more comprehensive account of how the new site was determined and why the old tank site is no longer safe.

The next Triunfo board meeting is Mon., June 27 at 5:15 p.m. in the Oak Park High School Library.