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(Top photo) Cutting the ceremonial red ribbon celebrating the city’s new 4 million gallon reservoir Monday were left to right: Sr. Civil Engineer John Coffman of AECOM, Interim Public Works Director Brian Yanez, Water Supervisor Sam Hutton, Vice Mayor Rick Cook, Mayor Ralph Fernandez, AECOM Sr. Project Engineer Douglas Hahn, Councilman Jim Tovias and City Manager Jaime Fontes. (Bottom photo) This is an aerial photo of the 4 Million Gallon water tank that was dedicated this past Monday. The new tank will provide water to Santa Paula residents (photo by Craig Mailloux). |
City Council celebrates new 4 million gallon reservoir
April 19, 2013
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula City Council
From the air it looks like a huge dance floor nestled on the hillside above Anacapa Terrace, but the 140-foot diameter structure has a gravel-like top that - although not dance friendly - has a great view of the city it will serve.
Public officials and those who worked on the city’s new four million gallon reservoir celebrated its completion Monday with a ceremonial ribbon cutting, although the facility has been online since August 2012. “It’s nice to see it, to know we’ve got a four mg tank” that cost about $8.3 million, although, noted Vice Mayor Rick Cook, “it sure doesn’t look like it.”
The tank has been in the pipeline since 2008, and the construction cost included new water infrastructure to handle future growth. There is also new asphalt along Steckel Drive where the road was torn up for the new piping.
The cost covered the design and construction management by AECOM. Pacific Hydrotech, Inc. built the pre-stressed concrete tank.
With its 38-foot walls, “Our challenge was the terrain,” said Douglas M. Hahn, AECOM’s senior project manager water division, who noted the slippery slopes of the city’s hillsides and canyons made site selection more difficult. “There’s 33 feet of water in the tank right now,” and Hahn showed the scant features topside of the structure only a few feet above the walkway that circles the tank, the “main pressure zone for the city.” There are access doors to get into the tank, although, Hahn said, “People might not have to go down there for 10 years.”
“It’s all solar,” said Interim Public Works Director Brian Yanez of the energy source. “It’s really a state-of-the-art tank, a huge boost to the city.”
Water Supervisor Sam Hutton said the solar is “an energy saver” that would save the city up to 20 percent of the $100,000 annual cost to run the reservoir water pump.
“It was a longtime coming, as it took a while to get the funding put together,” said Councilman Jim Tovias, who noted that the tank “serves the whole west side.” The cost of the tank project was covered with about $1.5 million in set-aside water funds and approximately $6.7 million in utility bonds.
City Manager Jaime Fontes said he was “pleased” that the new tank provides redundancy for water needs and fire protection. The old tank on 10th Street, he noted, will “be kept online for backup for the time being.”
“If you take the top off you could have a swimming pool too,” joked Mayor Ralph Fernandez.
Loren Tull, a resident of Anacapa Terrace, said, “I’ve been watching this” as it was being built and decided to attend the dedication. His presence was twofold: the son of the late Santa Paula Police Department Chief Ray Tull, as a Santa Paula High School sophomore Loren had worked on the property also known as Gooding Ranch.
Like others at the ribbon-cutting, Tull said he felt the cold nip to the air and wish he had brought a jacket; but overall was glad he there to observe the tank up close. “I’m impressed,” he noted.
So was Fernandez: “This is great, it’s going to be good for us in the long run.”
