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Extending sewer service into South Livermore Valley is a win for clean water, open space and Livermore’s wine country.
A generation ago, our community enacted the South Livermore Valley Area Plan to preserve open space and local farmland from urban development. The plan has successfully shielded 2,800 acres of vineyards from development but has continued to fall short of its goal of preserving 5,000 acres of vines.
Vineyards make good neighbors because they preserve scenic beauty while serving as fire breaks and a magnet for tourist dollars. While it is true that urban development is limited in the South Livermore Valley due to voter-approved restrictions passed two decades ago, those restrictions don’t ensure this area will remain in a natural state that provides wildlife habitat and opportunities for recreation or in agricultural use. Planted vineyards guard against less scenic uses from encroaching on this beautiful area (like junkyards, lots filled with old cars, and paintball courses).
Sustaining a healthy wine country requires a critical mass of agricultural activity – and right now new and existing winery operators are hesitant to plant due to one main obstacle: the cost of treating wastewater. That’s why the Livermore City Council placed Measure P on this November’s ballot, which would amend the South Livermore Urban Growth Boundary policies in the City of Livermore's General Plan to allow the City to extend sewer service to permitted uses within the South Livermore Valley area. What does a sewer system have to do with preserving open space? Quite a bit.
Today vintners in the area are forced to haul wastewater offsite – a process that is expensive and inefficient. Without access to safe and affordable wastewater disposal, our community will be unable to meet our goals for preserving scenic open space – or to grow our wine country.
The lack of sewer service has caused the stagnation of the wine industry. The County’s South Livermore Area Plan calls for the expansion of agricultural use for wine grapes to 5,000 acres but the total acreage used so far has stalled at around half of that goal. Measure P is the missing piece of the puzzle. The expansion of sewer service is critical for the wine industry to thrive and extending this service will NOT allow for residential or non-wine industry-related commercial development. Even if Measure P passes, housing density will remain unchanged at just one homesite per 20 acres.
More than half of the cost of constructing the extended sewer line will be covered by a grant from Alameda County. The county has already allocated the money; all voters need to do is vote yes on Measure P. The remaining costs are expected to be covered by state and federal funds. Individual property owners that connect to the line will pay their fair share of fees to cover ongoing operations and maintenance.
New septic systems are, for the most part, no longer allowed in the area, due to existing groundwater contamination by nitrates – mostly from old chicken farms that have since closed. Septic systems also contributed to nitrates. The good news is that nitrates break down naturally – so the quality of our groundwater will improve over the long term without further treatment once we bring sewer service into the region. In the meantime, an extended sewer system will invite the planting of new grape vines and protect our groundwater from further contamination.
The City of Livermore put Measure P on the ballot because extending sewer service is beneficial to the entire region. City staff have affirmed the existing wastewater treatment facilities have plenty of capacity to treat this additional wastewater.
Please join Greenbelt Alliance in protecting open space and cleaner groundwater. Livermore voters who support our natural environment and a thriving wine country and agricultural industry should support plans to expand sewer services into the South Livermore Valley. Vote Yes on Measure P.
Amanda Brown–Stevens is Executive Director of Greenbelt Alliance.
