Photograph by Tsutomu Fujita

Laurence Osborn of Milpitas reads the sign put up by the San Jose Water Company informing the public about the temporary closing of Los Gatos Creek Trail. Before the closing, Osborn rode his bike on the trail three times a week after getting off work.




Water company closes a local trail to replace aging pipeline

By Gloria I. Wang

Over the past several years, officials at the San Jose Water Company had discussed replacing a 30-inch pipeline along Los Gatos Creek in the least intrusive way. But there was now way around it--the entire width of the trail would have to be blocked off--and so they closed off a nearly 2-mile stretch on Oct. 1.

The affected area starts south of Main Street and ends at the Lexington Reservoir, a popular route for runners and cyclists.

"It's not to make it difficult for people to do things, but to make things safer for the community at large," said Ed Lambing, the water company's engineering supervisor.

"It's not safe along that trail because there's trenches, there's pipes," said administrative analyst Mary Gillespie-Greenberg from the town's parks and public works department.

The old pipeline, which had been in place since the 1950s, had "reached the end of its useful life," Lambing said. The pipeline ran along the trail up to the water company's Montevina Filter Plant, near Lexington Reservoir. The potable water that came from the pipe served Los Gatos and neighboring areas. In recent years, however, the pipeline started leaking, and current regulations require more up-to-date materials to be used on the construction of such structures. Lambing said that the new pipeline would follow the same path along the trail and be the same length--4,300 feet--but would be 42 inches wide.

It will take five months for all the tasks associated with this phase of the pipeline replacement work to be completed because of all its components. Not only does the existing pipe need to be removed, but the replacement will need to be delivered and welded. At the same time, construction workers must replace the concrete foundation and support blocks to fit today's seismic standards.

Along with the construction work, the water company says it will work to protect and improve the environment. Workers will put in a fencing made of silt--a material made of fine minerals--to ensure that the natural habitat will not be destroyed.

"Construction is a difficult task when there are so many activities going on at the same time," Lambing said.

For every tree that is removed, to make room for construction and construction vehicles, the water company will plant three trees in its place. The company also agreed to fix drains along the trail so that they will no longer resemble trenches, smooth the walking area to a consistent level and install a few benches along the path. "The final picture out there will be far superior to what it was before," Lambing said.

The project will cost $2.2 million and will be funded by the water company's capital improvement budget.

Although the Montevina Filter Plant is located next to Lexington Reservoir, the water that it supplies does not come from the reservoir. Instead, the plant collects runoff from farther up the mountains and Lake Elsman.

Lambing had met with town staff in the past two years to ensure that every alternative was being considered. Gillespie-Greenberg said they discussed merely fencing off a side of the trail so that there would still be room for people to walk on it, but "it would take all year."

"It's going to be an inconvenience, unfortunately," Gillespie-Greenberg said.

To inform the public about the closing, the water company placed ads in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times; the town posted information on its website; and large signs were installed near several entrances to the trail. "As much as we try ... we don't know if people will read the articles," Gillespie-Greenberg said.

Frequent users of the trail have other options, Lambing said. Bikers can use public streets to reach a trail that leads up to St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve. Walkers can use an "unofficial" trail that is east of Los Gatos Creek, which starts at Main Street and ends at Novitiate Park.

Lambing said he understands, however, that Los Gatans may be unhappy with the closing. "From my perspective, as a guy who likes to get outside and take a ride on his bike, I knew that there would be a certain degree of disgruntlement," Lambing said.

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