Pleasanton Abandons Proposed Parkside Water Fill Station After Outcry

PLEASANTON, CA — The Pleasanton City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 16 to rescind a prior vote allowing the construction of 16-17 recycled water filling stations on 5997 Parkside Drive, a residential area near the Ken Mercer Sports Park.

A widespread outcry erupted when residents of the Parkside neighborhood received a notice that the council had already voted to approve the stalls in a July 19 meeting, before they were notified. Residents concerned about the potential traffic, safety, and environmental issues quickly gathered a petition of at least 500 signatures (about 76% of neighborhood residents, according to an Omega Circle resident who helped organize the petition and spoke at the council meeting) opposing the filling stations, and the council agreed to reconsider the stations.

“I never would have supported this given what I know today,” Mayor Karla Brown said following just over an hour of comments by 21 residents opposed to the stations. “You made it clear that this is just not the option. We absolutely need to look for non-residential sites…We need to go back and work with our partner [Dublin San Ramon Service District] or work with other sites where a purple pipe is here in the city of Pleasanton.”

In March, the council approved a regional agreement with the city of Livermore and the DSRSD to construct a regional residential recycled water fill station on Gleason Drive in Dublin, a site owned by DSRSD. Pleasanton, Livermore, and the DSRSD were to split the costs three ways.

However, when cost estimates came back higher than expected, and in April the council directed staff to find a cheaper site. Staff considered the original DSRSD wastewater treatment plant, but staff expressed safety concerns. Staff also considered property at the Hacienda Business Park, but wanted something that was publicly owned.

City staff selected 5997 Parkside Drive as an alternate site because it was located near the purple pipe that carries recycled water through the Tri-Valley, it was owned by the city and served as the former headquarters of the Zone 7 Water Agency, it had fill locations, and it would be cheaper and quick to construct. The council approved the Parkside Drive site in July.

Neighboring residents cited a number of safety concerns with the site, and were upset at not being included in the conversation before an initial decision was made. Overall, residents supported the use of recycled water, but said the city needs to find a location that is not in the middle of a densely-populated residential neighborhood.

Parkside resident Jane Bowen worried about trucks with trailers as long as 28 feet traveling down a residential street, and was one of several to express concerns that they would have difficulty turning around.

“The traffic from these many and large vehicles will overwhelm our small Parkside neighborhood of approximately 225 homes. It will really be unlivable to have this kind of traffic,” she said. “Additionally those coming to get water will find it hard to maneuver their large vehicles to these two spigots. We need to invest in a location that can handle the demand and usage to realistically meet water needs today, and into the future.”

Several residents expressed deep concerns about the nearby sports park, and the dangers of so many new cars near a place where children run in the street.

“I worry that someone is gonna hit those kids, hit those dogs, hit those people - people walk, and you cannot see them,” said Susan Schall, noting that large trees hinder visibility on the west side of the park. “We’ve got the school bus that just zooms down the street, we’ve got all the cars zooming down the street, and now we’ve got these 25-foot long cars and trucks with trailers, coming down the street, and turning around. It’s a horrible, horrible safety concern.”

Several also expressed concern that emergency vehicles would not be able to get in and out due to the increased traffic.

“Once you get past Cheryl [Drive], my concern is safety,” said Stephen Jones. “If you have a traffic accident, you hit somebody in his truck, he’s impatient, and he pulls out unsafely, it closes down that street. There’s 165 houses that have no out. No fire truck can get in, no ambulance can get in, no woman in labor can get out. That’s a big deal.”

Pleasanton Traffic Engineer Mike Tassano confirmed that no formal traffic study had taken place, but said that only a “pretty significant collision” would prevent emergency vehicles from entering, and even then, they could use Sports Park Drive through the park .

Others expressed concern about the environmental impact of several diesel trucks idling near houses.

Council members agreed with residents, and rescinded the agreement, to applause. Council directed staff to find a new site, which is highly unlikely to happen before October. The city will have to pay about $25,000 in termination costs. Other proposed locations include renegotiating with DSRSD to use their site, somewhere in Hacienda Business Park, Shadow Cliffs, and Staples Ranch.