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New water treatment systems will be installed at three California Water Service stations in Livermore to remove toxic chemicals, with the Planning Commission directing city staff to address neighbors’ concerns about noise and screening at one of the sites.
Cal Water plans to upgrade Station 9, located at 3474 East Ave.; Station 19, at 1748 Elm St.; and Station 31 at 732 Olivina Ave. The agency currently uses each station for water storage, but the stations require upgrades to ensure drinking water is safe and reliable and to expand their storage capacity.
The projects involve installing two granular activated carbon vessels, which remove contaminants, along with associated control systems, underground utilities and piping connections, according to the staff report prepared by Livermore Assistant Planner Emily LaDue.
The Livermore Planning Commission approved the upgrades at its Oct. 20 meeting, approving three sets of conditional use permit modifications, site plan design review modifications and exemptions from additional environmental review.
“These improvements are needed for the safety of the water supply that serves this community,” said Andrew Borgic of Water Works Engineers, the company leading the three Cal Water projects.
During the meeting, two neighbors of Station 19 said they do not want to lose the natural screening provided by two elm trees at the back of the site that are slated to be removed.
Neighbor James Baker acknowledged the importance of the public works project but requested at least one of the two trees remain in place.
“These tanks are monstrosities,” he said. “They really make every neighborhood that these are in look horrible.”
The project proposes replacing the two trees with a California native tree species that will take at least 10 years to grow taller than the approximately 21-foot-tall tank, according to the staff report.
The Planning Commission directed staff to look into a tree that would grow more quickly.
Baker also expressed concern about existing noise at the site and the potential for it to worsen after the upgrades, though the staff report states that the upgrades are not expected to cause additional noise. The commission directed staff to work with the city’s Neighborhood Preservation team to evaluate sound at Station 19 to ensure it complies with the city’s sound ordinance.
