Water System

Buck Wargo CITY HALL -- Glendale is willing to pay a consultant $35,000 to review the operations of the city's water system, including the rates it charges. Glendale Water & Power is seeking proposals from engineering and management firms to review the department's finances and its maintenance of the water system. This is the first outside review done to see if the water department is following the best practices of the industry. The consultant will review the department's financial reserve policies, rate structure for covering costs, levels of expenditures and maintenance operations.

Buck Wargo CITY HALL -- Glendale is bringing in a consultant to check out the city's water system. Bucknam & Associates in Costa Mesa will be paid $35,000 to review the financial and physical health of the water system. The study will show if Glendale is following industry practices and is spending enough money to keep up the system. The city's water reserves are considered low because of the lack of rate increases for many years, said Bernie Palk, executive director of Glendale Water & Power.

Karen S. Kim The city could be putting the security of its water system under the microscope, following an order of the federal government. The City Council will consider Tuesday entering into an agreement with Kennedy/Jenks Consultants to conduct a vulnerability assessment for Glendale's water system. "The federal government is requiring that all large water agencies in the country prepare a vulnerability assessment of their water systems," said Don Froelich, water services administrator for the city.

Buck Wargo CITY HALL -- A hillside Glendale neighborhood with low water pressure will soon be getting some relief. The City Council on Tuesday awarded a $325,700 bid to of A.D. Engineering of Burbank to replace water lines on Cavanagh, Cedar, Court and Bohlig roads. The 8-inch lines will replace 4-inch lines installed in 1924 north of Mountain Street. More fire hydrants will also be installed, with spacing reduced from 600 feet to 300 feet between hydrants to help with suppressing fires in the area.

NATIONAL GUARD SALARY WHAT HAPPENED The council adopted an urgency ordinance for continuing salary supplements and benefits for city employees who are called to active duty as reserve members of the National Guard or Armed Forces. WHAT IT MEANS Employees on active duty will continue receiving up to one year of supplemental salary and benefits from the city. Before Sept. 11, 2001, city employees were receiving up to 30 days of salary and benefits to supplement their military income.

FREE TRADE AGREEMENT The Glendale Redevelopment Agency will hear a report on the possible implications of the tentative Korean American Free Trade Agreement and consider sending a letter of support urging congressional delegates to ratify the measure. Mayor Ara Najarian called for the report after receiving a request from the Korean American Chamber of Commerce to support the free trade agreement that reached tentative accord in August. The agreement — which would be the largest free trade endeavor for South Korea, and the second largest for the United States — still requires congressional ratification.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — Water officials are rushing to repair the wooden support columns of a large underground reservoir above Brand Park that if left unfixed for one more season could cause the roof to collapse, they said. Glendale Water & Power has been planning to replace 157 rotting wood columns and 17 beams since 2004 after core samples were found to be soft and weak, impairing the condition of the roof to the point where it “poses a clear and imminent danger to the water supply” by hampering the utility’s ability to meet summer demand, according to a city report.

Finally, an elected official with some good fiscal sense. This is exactly why I voted for Mike Gatto, and why I am thankful he represents Glendale today ("Bill may provide relief for Bell scandal," Aug. 28). It is simply wrong for the people of Glendale to have to pay for the lack of oversight in Bell. We Glendale taxpayers have plenty of uses for our tax dollars and paying the inflated pensions of Bell officials is not one of them. Gatto's leadership on this issue is much appreciated.

Water district work to begin The Crescenta Valley Water District will be replacing four water valves on Ramsdell Avenue between Foothill Boulevard and Stevens Avenue starting on Monday, and water will be shut off for six to eight hours Wednesday. These valves were installed around 1959 and need to be replaced to allow proper maintenance of the water system. The work on Ramsdell Avenue is being done the same week as spring break for all the Glendale Unified School District schools, in order to reduce additional traffic delays, the district said.

Two candidates with experience on the Crescenta Valley Water District's Board of Directors are vying for another crack at the board's open two-year seat. Ken Putnam, who currently sits on the board, and Charles Beatty, a former board member who also is running for the Crescenta Valley Town Council as an incumbent, will face off for the position at the polls Nov. 8. There are three seats open this election, two four-year terms and one two-year term. The two incumbents running for the four-year terms, Kathy Ross and Judy Tejeda, are not being challenged.

Charging Glendale residents for water based on whether they are a small, medium or large users is ludicrous (“Utility considers another water rate hike,” Sept. 7). A large user likely has a larger property and would presumably use more water and should pay for the water used, but at the same rate as all other users. The proposed tiered system unjustly penalizes larger users because of their property size. We have lived in our Glendale home in Chevy Chase Canyon for 35 years and are now retired.

Finally, an elected official with some good fiscal sense. This is exactly why I voted for Mike Gatto, and why I am thankful he represents Glendale today ("Bill may provide relief for Bell scandal," Aug. 28). It is simply wrong for the people of Glendale to have to pay for the lack of oversight in Bell. We Glendale taxpayers have plenty of uses for our tax dollars and paying the inflated pensions of Bell officials is not one of them. Gatto's leadership on this issue is much appreciated.

CITY HALL — On the bulletin board across from his desk, Patrick Hayes keeps a picture of the 2006 Linda Vista main break as a constant reminder of the damage that can be caused by failed pipes. The after-effects of major main breaks — including flooding and street damage — often require extensive repairs with high price tags for the city. They can also cause major annoyances for residents. “It’s not just the cost of the repair. It’s the social cost,” said Hayes, principal engineer with Glendale Water & Power.

Water district work to begin The Crescenta Valley Water District will be replacing four water valves on Ramsdell Avenue between Foothill Boulevard and Stevens Avenue starting on Monday, and water will be shut off for six to eight hours Wednesday. These valves were installed around 1959 and need to be replaced to allow proper maintenance of the water system. The work on Ramsdell Avenue is being done the same week as spring break for all the Glendale Unified School District schools, in order to reduce additional traffic delays, the district said.

FREE TRADE AGREEMENT The Glendale Redevelopment Agency will hear a report on the possible implications of the tentative Korean American Free Trade Agreement and consider sending a letter of support urging congressional delegates to ratify the measure. Mayor Ara Najarian called for the report after receiving a request from the Korean American Chamber of Commerce to support the free trade agreement that reached tentative accord in August. The agreement — which would be the largest free trade endeavor for South Korea, and the second largest for the United States — still requires congressional ratification.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — Water officials are rushing to repair the wooden support columns of a large underground reservoir above Brand Park that if left unfixed for one more season could cause the roof to collapse, they said. Glendale Water & Power has been planning to replace 157 rotting wood columns and 17 beams since 2004 after core samples were found to be soft and weak, impairing the condition of the roof to the point where it “poses a clear and imminent danger to the water supply” by hampering the utility’s ability to meet summer demand, according to a city report.

LOS ANGELES — The city of Glendale received court approval Monday to do much-needed maintenance work at Grand View Memorial Park — clearing the way for the cemetery's eventual reopening. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr handed down the court order Monday allowing the city to remove or prune dried-out trees on the cemetery grounds to reduce the risk of fire and liability if a limb were to fall on a visitor. The city decided on June 26 to do the work before renewing limited visitation days at the cemetery.