Las Virgenes Water District rejects Kimberly site

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) has rejected a proposal by the Triunfo Sanitation District to share usage of the Kimberly water tank near Kimberly Drive in Agoura Hills.

In November, Ventura County Supervisor and Triunfo board member Linda Parks suggested joint usage of the Kimblery tank as a solution to Oak Park’s water water storage problems.

Triunfo wants to stop using the 35-year-old Conifer tank in Oak Park because it’s deteriorated and a geological survey found that the tank could slide down the hill if a sizeable earthquake hit the area.

While Triunfo directors hoped the 470,000-gallon Kimberly water tank could be upgraded to provide water to both Agoura Hills and Oak Park, LVMWD staff recommended against the joint project.

LVMWD officials said the tank would require “significant work” to accomodate the extra usage. The potential construction and change in aesthetics would have a negative impact on Las Virgenes customers, a special report said.

In a 4-1 vote, the Triunfo board decided to prepare an environmental impact report for a pair of alternative sites at Palo Comado Canyon and across the street from Oak Hills Elementary School above Churchwood Drive.

Mary Wiesbrock, director of Save Open Space, said she was unhappy with the Palo Comado Canyon site near Doubletree Street because it would be nestled in a region that is the entrance to the Santa Monica National Recreation Area. The site is preferred by the Triunfo staff because it’s the least expensive location and meets numerous building conditions.

Homeowners are concerned with the site on Churchwood site because of the risk that a possible tank rupture presents to houses in the area.

LVMWD outlined 12 problems with the Kimberly plan, including the fact that Triunfo would need a structure four times larger than the exisiting tank. The pump station would have to be expanded, which might require an even larger tank site location, officials said.

The existing Kimberly tank is currently hidden, but a new, larger tank would be visible from neighboring homes, the report said.

“We have the ability to look at a lot of acreage. We don’t need to put it near homes or in a national reserve,” Parks said.

The new tank will be twice as large as the one at Conifer and will hold 2.1 million gallons of water.