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Published on 12/15/1999 All articles from this issue

Reservoir plan on hold as MV officials do testing

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By Ellen Murray

Special to the Town Crier

A plan to expand the existing Mountain View reservoir on annexed Los Altos land needs to plug some leaks before it's acceptable to residents in the Miramonte area, according to sources in both cities.

Mountain View Public Works Director Cathy Lazarus said that the city is doing additional studies of the Miramonte Reservoir and will figure out "the appropriate course of strategy." Officials originally scheduled design plans to come before the Mountain View City Council this month. Lazarus said the city would like to expand the water storage and build a separate tank which will be interconnected to the original 1940s-era reservoir. Workers are now doing seismic studies of the existing reservoir. There is currently no set timeline on this project, Lazarus said.

Concerns about potential design flaws and safety surfaced at the Los Altos City Council meeting on Nov. 9, when Lazarus presented conceptual plans for the expansion of the Miramonte Reservoir on Miramonte Avenue just south of Stanley Avenue. Although surrounded by the City of Los Altos, the reservoir provides no water to Los Altos residents. Annexed to Mountain View in 1956, it serves a city that is growing by leaps and bounds.

Expansion plans call for a facility of the same height as the existing reservoir with a capacity of 3 million gallons. Lazarus said that the location of the reservoir is based on the need to service the area south of Cuesta Drive.

"The use of the (Miramonte site) is important because of its elevation and desirable gravity flow, and the proximity to the Santa Clara Valley Water District lines," she said.

Although Mountain View is performing seismic tests on the existing tank, Los Altos neighbors are concerned with the proposed expansion design.

The Los Altos City Council has appealed to Mountain View to go beyond the normal process of meeting minimum requirements at the lowest cost in order to be a "good neighbor."