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Between another year of dry conditions and lackluster water conservation, the Pleasanton City Council is expected to declare a local drought emergency and water shortage, along with imposing a 15% water use reduction mandate at their regular meeting on Tuesday, starting 7 p.m.
If a proposed resolution is approved that evening, Pleasanton will be the latest Tri-Valley city to require water customers to reduce their potable water use by 15% compared to 2020 use. Last week Livermore also announced a 15% mandatory water use reduction for its residents.
During summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an expanded drought emergency proclamation that also asked Californians to voluntarily cut their water use by 15%, compared to their use last year. Despite voluntary conservation requests and a public outreach campaign, “both city and Tri-Valley-wide water reduction has fallen short of this reduction target,” according to a city staff report.
Tri-Valley communities achieved about a 7% reduction in water use for the month of July, with monthly water production comparisons between this year and 2020 showing the water reduction target falling short of meeting a 15% reduction.
Failure to reach that goal prompted the Zone 7 Water Agency to declare a drought emergency within its service area last month, along with a Stage 2 water shortage which includes mandatory conservation measures from their retailers of 15% compared to last year.
An annual sustainability report for Zone 7 said there will be “adequate supplies to meet 2021 Demands,” but approximately 70% of the agency’s water supply is bought and imported through the State Water Project (SWP), and as of Sept. 17, storage levels in Lake Oroville are at 22%, the lowest in the reservoir’s history.
“Because the majority of the Tri-Valley’s imported water originates from the SWP, it is reasonable and appropriate to conclude that there is uncertainty in next year’s water supply,” staff said, adding that “water saved this year will help protect water supplies for next year.”
Mandatory conservation will reduce the city’s water purchases from Zone 7 but “it is too early to tell what the extent of purchasing and selling less water will have on the city’s water enterprise fund.”
Activation of drought rates or excessive use penalties is not being recommended by staff at this time, though water conservation measures under Stage 2 will go into effect, per the Pleasanton Municipal Code.
“This will allow time for further customer outreach and education on the water conservation measures and behaviors that will help them achieve the 15% reduction,” staff said, and added that the “measured response will be and is being followed by the other retailers, and Zone 7 is currently not activating their drought rates to retailers.”
Staff said they will “continue to evaluate the city-wide conservation response and coordinate with Zone 7 and the retailers to evaluate potential escalation of conservation requests,” and give updates to the council every 60 days for the duration of the local drought emergency
To support conservation efforts throughout the city, staff has recommended hiring part-time temporary workers to operate the drought call center, control assistance program, and respond to reports of “leaks, water waste and general noncompliance.” Funding will be requested as part of the city’s 2021-22 midyear budget.
In other business
* Conceptual designs for both the skatepark and planned all-abilities playground at Ken Mercer Sports Park will be reviewed by the City Council on Tuesday.
The city started planning its first all-abilities playground four years ago, when families with special needs relatives originally approached staff with the request, and have made it a top priority over the past two years including approving and budgeting funds for the design process.
Along with a topographic survey, tree assessment and geotechnical engineers report, a website dedicated to the project was also built and is updated regularly, and six stakeholder meetings were held with different groups to discuss the playground.
Based on the public feedback and other information, the two conceptual designs were created and also brought to the Parks and Rec Commission in August. The new all-abilities playground (regardless which one is chosen) will replace the existing and outdated playground currently east of the softball field complex at Mercer Park.
“The concept designs were created to incorporate as much of the public input received as possible while also reflecting the character and feel of the community and park,” staff said in a report. “The two designs are meant to be interchangeable so that items in option one can be placed in option two and vice versa.”
Called “Pleasanton’s Rise Playground,” Option 1 is an “inspirational” playground that “encourages bravery, confidence, and the joy of lifting up others.”
“Through a variety of play and sensory experiences that encourage inclusion, it inspires all who visit to ‘rise’ up like the birds in the wind, the sun, the moon and the stars,” staff said.
A replica of the Pleasanton arch on Main Street is a focal point of the proposed design, along with a large main play area with “a bird, nest, or other large soaring feature that could be interacted with in a variety of ways” such as climbing, swinging, ziplining, or sliding. Among other features, Option 1 would also have quiet areas, additional picnic areas, a music area, fitness zone, sensory play area, and a large climbing structure for older children.
Celebrating “the park’ s green, lush setting and undulations,” Option 2 — otherwise known as the “Pride of Pleasanton Playground” — “encourages users to discover nature through organic shapes, natural materials and textures, and a variety of adventures and challenges along the way,” according to staff.
Interpretive play features that “highlight the unique character of Pleasanton” are featured in the design, which also includes an entry area with a replica Pleasanton arch. A large main play area with a replica Kottinger Farm “or other key historic building in Pleasanton that could be interacted with in a variety of ways” has also been proposed, along with nature-themed play areas outfitted with mounds, sand and sensory play items.
Both options include additional accessible parking spaces, a drop-off and loading/unloading area, and new parking stalls.
Staff said, “As proposed, the loss in parking due to the additional accessible stalls and loading zone are expected to balance with the new parking stalls for a net-zero gain in parking in the parking lot immediately adjacent to the all-abilities playground. However, with the projected addition of parking for the skatepark project, there will be an approximate gain of 20 parking stalls for the entire park.”
There are several opportunities for public input in the near future, including another playground survey planned early this month and another Parks and Rec Commission meeting in November. A final conceptual design and project cost estimate will be rendered once all public input has been received.
Staff said there is currently enough funding for design but none has been identified yet for construction, and that the design estimate “will be utilized to identify the amount of funding needed for the construction of the project.”
The council will also review and give feedback on the skatepark being planned at Mercer that night. After several stakeholder meetings and community outreach including a community-wide survey this spring, two design concepts were shared with both the Youth and Parks and Recreation commissioners recently.
Starting in 2014, the city was identified as being “deficient in skate facilities” by a half-acre and began planning for a buildout. Last year staff presented the top locations for a skate park, with the west end of Mercer Park adjacent to the existing skatepark ultimately being chosen.
Like for the all-abilities playground, the concept designs for the skate park also “are meant to be interchangeable so that items in option one can be placed in option two and vice versa,” according to staff, and “were created to maximize the use of the potential skatepark space while retaining the existing skatepark and other site features and amenities to the extent feasible.”
“Both designs propose to retain the basic footprint of the existing skatepark but remove the surrounding curb to improve accessibility, increase the size of the drop-in area (where park users start their runs), and otherwise repair and incorporate the existing facility into the new design,” staff said.
The first concept includes an 86,000 square foot skatepark with 34,000 square feet of dedicated skatable area, plus sections for picnicking and relaxing, as well as shade structures, 20 additional parking, a drop off and arrival area at the main parking lot, and would retain most of the existing trees.
“Concept Design 2” proposes 90,000 square feet of skatepark with 38,000 square feet of dedicated skateable area plus picnic, hangout, view and events areas, modern fabric shade structures, an extra drop off area/access point in the south parking lot, and 18 additional parking spots in the north parking lot.
Both designs have areas for beginner, intermediate, and advanced skaters, as well as spaces for skate classes and workshops, plus access from both parking lots and landscaped buffers with shade trees around the skatepark’s exterior. Lighting for the skatepark is also being planned with overspill guards to “significantly reduce lighting from bleeding into other areas.”
One of the designs will be developed for final approval, and is expected to be presented for adoption in December or January. The skatepark is being funded through the Skatepark Capital Improvement Program and currently has a $400,000 design budget, with expenditures expected to be $118,382. Construction funding has not been identified yet for the project.
We all new this was coming, it is not fair to now mandate EVERYONE to cut water usage by 15%. Will they look at customers water usage pattern for the last year, two years?
Many have previously cut their water usage by 15% or more, because of their awareness of the situation that we are in. Will they be required to cut an additional 15%?
Will households that use 70 units of water every two weeks, and ones that use 20 units of water be mandated by the same 15% cut in water usage?
I can’t believe it’s taken the City until Oct. 5 to mandate a water reduction. It’s about time.
The GATES area – include it in the selection, please. Drought, 15% water use reduction. There is not enough potable water for the present population, and industry. Until Zone 7 & Pleasanton have enough water for the present population and industry there should be no more growth of any kind.
Water is already being trucked into some communities, as they depleted their water supply.
The Gates is over a groundwater basin. When in drought and the SWP reduces water to Zone 7 to only 5% then to 0%, the water is taken from the groundwater basin and there is no water to replenish it. The groundwater basin eventually will be depleted. Each time the groundwater basin is reduced it sinks the surface above it. The sinking surface sinks foundations of homes, industry & infrastructure. Home owners pay from their pocket to install piers to stabilize their foundations. If they don’t their homes become uninhabitable. It costs home owners from $40, 000 to way over $100,000 to stabilize and repair the damage to their homes.
Zone 7 has two wells and a demineralization plant at Stoneridge and Santa Rita. Pleasanton has 2 wells just south of them between Stoneridge and Mohr. The 2 Zone 7 wells withdraw about as much water as all other Zone 7 wells together. The clay soil can compact and become impermeable to water. Rain water and other water can’t reach the groundwater basin, as it can’t get past the compacted clay soil. When the groundwater is depleted, it should create a surface sink hole and an uninhabitable area. Not too distant past populations had to move & disperse due to drought and no water. STOP WITHDRAWING GROUNDWATER BASIN WATER, AS ZONE 7 DOES NOT REPLENISH IT EQUALLY. STOP GROWTH OF ANY KIND THAT DOES NOT HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF AVAILABLE WATER TO SUPPORT IT. STOP SUBSIDENCE AND SINKING OF OUR HOME FOUNDATIONS, DAMAGE TO OUR HOMES AND USING OUR RETIREMENT MONEY TO FIX OUR HOMES. Do an independent investigation of how we can have enough water for our existing population.
Seems pretty stupid to mandate housing growth which will obviously increase water usage, while at the same time force existing residents to continue to cut back usage more than they already have.
How about we just reduce the number of housing units to ensure people have water.
Or, go ahead with the new housing units, but their consumption has to make up for the overall reduction required (i.e. new homes have an easier opportunity to be more efficient from day 1.
After all the politically correct and survival-essential efforts fail, perhaps we can get serious on committing the State to developing many regional water desalination plants based on many regional and scalable Walkaway Safe, Small Modular Reactor (SMR’s), fueled with Thorium. We can built scalable SMR’s that pump electric power everywhere including our grid to clean existing ponds, filter water, desalination plants on a large scale, even clean large lakes and still have power left over to put into the grid. We can do on 100 acres with scable SMR’s what wind and battery require 100,000 acres to achieve with far less environmental degradation. First we just have to believe we can do it.
Primary source water wells pump water that somehow naturally move from 200 to 300 miles or more deep in the earth mantle to the surface. Pumping from primary source water wells do not necessarily lower the water table. Water without traces of Tritium is coming up from deep earth. It’s non-presence is how a primary source water well is verified.
We have a lot to learn about water, water conservation, and creating more useable water.
It’s the same old argument. If we don’t have enough water for the residents here now how in the world are we going to supply all these new houses. The people that live here now have to be rationed so the new people can live here.
There should be absolutely no new building. But we all know that isn’t going to happen.
This is such a NIMBY thing. We have all the technology we need now to get all the water we need regardless of drought status for Pleasanton residences and businesses. Our city just voted to not even study water recycling, which in itself would provide a large amount. What another missed opportunity. With existing methods we would have all the water we need and the technology is available today.
It’s kind of a silly game. Don’t build enough capacity for water, so we can claim nothing should be built. We do a similar thing with schools.