Locations are scouted for new Oak Park water tank

Five sites will be considered for the new water tank needed to replace the deteriorating water tank located above Conifer Street in Oak Park, according to the Triunfo Sanitation District board of directors who discussed the issue at last week’s board meeting.

The five options were put forward after Oak Park residents voiced frustration with Triunfo’s decision to build a new tank in the Palo Comado Canyon located above Doubletree Street.

Residents felt the decision to build the new tank in the Palo Comado Canyon did not take into consideration other viable options. Oak Park residents also oppose the site because the new tank would sit at the juncture of multiple hiking trails and would cause problems for Doubletree Street residents.

A total of 16 sites were included in a report presented by Triunfo staff to the board of directors. For each site, the report compared landslide concerns, total acres affected, aesthetic issues, environmental impact and traffic, as well as the estimated construction cost.

Although the board decided to close the public comment period for the initial study of the new tank’s location on Oct. 17, they will host a public workshop in November to discuss the five potential sites.

“All the initial study does is tell people we have a project,” said Mark Lawler, Triunfo’s district manager. “Typically, we take comment over 30 days. For this (project), we took public comment for three to four months . . . The outcome is we’re going to consider additional sites.”

Lawler said next month he will report back to the board of directors with the cost of adding all the sites to the environmental impact report, as well as a time frame for when he expects the report to be completed.

Jim Kalember, an Oak Park resident critical of Triunfo’s decision process, said although he feels the five sites were chosen arbitrarily, he is pleased to see additional sites being considered.

“If those five sites are considered and, at the end of the day, it ends up that Doubletree is the best (site), well, like all political battles, there’s going to be winners and losers,” Kalember said. “I just would hope they would be sensitive to what they’re doing.”

Linda Parks, a Ventura County supervisor and Triunfo board member, also supports the town hall meetings. Parks said, however, she hopes dialogue between Triunfo and Oak Park residents will help both sides agree on the new tank site and will not become bogged by unreasonable expectations from either side.

Triunfo officials have said they have about $3 million available to pay for the tank’s construction.

Board member Dennis Gillette said the decision of where to build the tank needs to made quickly. Gillette is worried that the rising cost of construction and building materials will make it impossible for Triunfo to afford the tank without raising water rates for the district’s customers.

“We need the community to understand that unlimited financial resources do not exist,” Gillette said. “Given the size of the Oak Park service, every amount that’s spent unnecessarily translates directly to potentially higher rates.”

For nearly a decade, water officials have said the 35-year-old water tank above Conifer is unsafe because of deterioration. A geological survey of the Conifer site in the late 1990s also showed the tank may slide down the hill if the area was hit by a sizable earthquake.

Because the tank was intended to be an emergency reserve for Oak Park if the flow of water from Northern California is disrupted, F P 12— the reserve capacity of the tank is also an issue. To better meet reserve and fire code standards, Triunfo plans for the new tank to hold 2.1 million gallons of water, twice the size of the Conifer tank.

The Triunfo Sanitation District will hold its next board meeting at 5:15 p.m. Mon., Oct. 24 in the Oak Park Library.

The following are the five locations being considered for the new water tank to replace the existing Conifer Street tank. Palo Comado Canyon

600 feet above Doubletree Road

Geological issues: no apparent mapped problem

Acres affected: 1

View shed: Not visible from any homes. Visible eastbound on about 100 feet of Doubletree Road. Visible to hikers, and recreational bicyclists for 400 feet eastbound on the trail and wherever Oak Park houses or other tank sites are also visible from national recreational area.

Traffic: Moderate, two weeks for 700 feet of pipeline in Doubletree Road, with minor construction equipment accessing site via Doubletree Road.

Pipeline construction: 11 days Sensitive habitats: none

Total cost: $3.6 million

Eastern Oak Park

located above Woodcrest

Geological issues: no apparent mapped problem

Acres affected: 2-4

View shed: Visible from about 800 homes and nearby roads.

Traffic: Heavy, four weeks of pipeline construction in Kanan and Sunnycrest roads.

Pipeline construction: 22 days Sensitive habitats: unknown Total cost: $4.4 million

Eastern Oak Park

east of Eaglehaven Lane

Geological issues: no apparent mapped problem

Acres affected: 1-3

View shed: Visible from (and very close to) about 30 homes and from Eaglehaven Lane and Pala Mesa Drive.

Traffic: Light, two weeks of installing pipeline in Bishopswood Pipeline construction: 10 days Sensitive habitats: unknown

Total cost: $3.7 million

Eastern Oak Park

east of Bishopswood Drive

Geological issues: no apparent mapped problem

Acres affected: 2-4

View shed: Visible from 50 homes, Deerhill Park and about 2,000 feet of roads. Traffic: Light, two weeks of installing pipeline in Bishopswood

Pipeline construction: 9 days Sensitive habitats: unknown

Total cost: $4 million

Eastern Oak Park

north of Deerbrook Road

Geological issues: no apparent mapped problem

Acres affected: 2-4

View shed: Visible from about 30 homes, Deerhill Park and about 2,000 feet of roads.

Pipeline construction: 10 days Sensitive habitats: unknown Total cost: $4 million