Saratoga Resident Complains About Hydraulic Fluid Spills on Local Streets

Have you noticed dark, liquid stains on your neighborhood streets?

There is a possibility that the ugly markings could be hydraulic fluid spills, which Saratoga resident Ron Simner noticed near his house in November 2012.

Simner said he saw that the spills were coming from a West Valley Collection and Recycling truck.

“(The trucks) have a hydraulic arm that reaches out to grab the waste bin and pulls it back and dumps it,” he said. “As these arms would extend and extract, they would leak hydraulic fluid.” 

Glen Long, West Valley Collection and Recycling district manager, stated in an email that, “the leaks in question usually amounted to 6-10 drips each about the size of a quarter.”

According to Saratoga City Clerk Crystal Bothelio, Simner contacted the municipality when he saw the spills and West Valley Collection and Recycling is responsible for the cleanup.

"It took the company a while to figure it out but they did," Bothelio said. "We were really grateful (Simner) took the time to follow the issue so carefully and to take time off to report it to us because we want to take time to make sure problems like this get resolved."

She also said an employee from the company followed the specific truck’s route to see what the issue was.

"The same truck was leaking over and over again and they couldn't find all the problems so they replaced the truck," Simner said.

Weslie McConkey, the West Valley Collection and Recycling outreach manager, stated in an email, “any drip that we notice or that is brought to our attention will be cleaned up.”

According to Bothelio, the city hasn’t received recent complaints about spills and that the complaints they receive go directly to the company.

Simner said the neighbors he spoke to are upset with the hydraulic fluid spills because, “It is obviously not right and they’re frustrated because the problem has been persistent.”

Although the leaking truck was fixed, Simner said he has his doubts that the problem is fixed permanently.

“(The company) has done some cleanup but there are still stains that remain,” he said. “Their response has generally been to come and clean up my street and ignore other streets.”

Simner also said he was told by the city to call 911 if he saw a truck leaking.

According to Bothelio, the suggestion was to report an actively leaking truck to 911 so the call could be directed to the appropriate people to address the situation.

She said if the spills were hazardous, it would be officially documented, cleared by HazMat and an investigation would then be launched.

“We all want this problem to be resolved,” she said. “It’s not something we want to continue.”

Editor's Note: This article was written for Saratoga Patch as part of a San Jose State University journalism class assignment. The writer welcomes your feedback and comments.