Pleasanton council lifts ban on outdoor watering, approves issuing $345,000 in bonds

Pleasanton Councilmember Alex Wills holds up a water meter setter that burst as a result of increased water pressure in the system. (Screen capture Pleasanton City Council meeting)

By Roger Sims

linncountyjournal@icloud.com

PLEASANTON – The Pleasanton City Council on Monday, Aug. 31, passed a resolution lifting the restriction on outdoor watering that has been in place for more than two weeks. The lifting of the ban comes as the area is expecting at least four more days where the daytime temperature is expected to reach triple digits, although the relief may have come too late for some gardens.

Before the council voted to lift the watering ban, Mayor Mathew Young said that the temporary pumps had flushed considerable sludge buildup in the water line from the dam at Pleasanton’s East Lake to the water treatment plant 3 miles away.

“Through the flush out, it increased flow rate a little better than 20% from what we had before,” he said, adding that the temporary pump was pumping up to 300 gallons per minute.

Councilman Alex Wills said the temporary pump had pressured the line as much as 150 pounds per square inch, and the ability of the lines help the existing pumps become more efficient. Before the flush out, the older pump was supplying 115 gpm at 70 psi. After the flush, the pump was providing 145 gpm at 50 psi.

The discussion then turned to whether the city needed to replace the three exisiting intake pumps currently in the tube that goes down about 30 feet at the center of the dam. Kenny Stark pointed out that the state only requires one pump, however, Young, Stark and Wills all indicated it would be better to have two pumps even though only one would pump at a time.

The new pumps are expected to be stainless steel to avoid the corrosive effects of the alkaline water in the lake, which is a former coal mining strip pit.

Wills also pointed out that since the temporary pump had been running, eight water meter “setters,” the connecting assembly between the city water lines and lines to residences or businesses, had blown out and needed to be replaced. He suggested that residents pay attention to their meter hookups so they could be replaced quickly.

In a related development, the council voted to issue bonds for $345,000 to cover the expected cost of the emergency lake pump replacement and the equally serious replacement of the damaged roof over the clarifier and filter building at the water plant.

Max McLiney of McLiney and Co., the city’s financial advisor, said that when he appeared before the council earlier in August, he figured the city would pay 5% interest on the bonds. Since then, he said, he had found a purchaser that was will to finance for 4.25% interest.

The mayor also told members in the audience that, because people questioned the $215,000 bid for repairs to the water plant roof, he had photos of the damage inside the structure. The exterior of the roof looks old but not in danger of collapse.