The Abridged version:
- The Woodland City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to advance a proposal to connect the companies Bayer and Clark Pacific to city water.
- The move now needs approval by a majority of voters in November.
- The companies would pay for the connections, and city officials said Woodland has the capacity to meet the increased demand.
Woodland voters have another decision to make in November.
After a brief discussion Tuesday night, the Woodland City Council voted unanimously to advance a proposal by crop science company Bayer and prefab manufacturer Clark Pacific to use city water in their operations.
“There’s no downside to this project at all,” councilmember Rich Lansburgh said. “They’re going to pay for it and our constituents are going to reap the benefits.”
But the final decision is not up to the city council.
Because both companies sit outside of city limits, the extension of service requires majority approval by the Woodland electorate. City residents will have the chance to weigh in during the general election in November.
Groundwater issues
Bayer and Clark Pacific, companies with hundreds of employees, currently use contaminant-laden groundwater that risks employee safety and equipment function, company officials said.
“Certainly, the water quality has continued to provide some ever-growing challenges to our ability to provide safe water both to our employees and to our operations there,” said George Gough, director of state and local government affairs for Bayer.
Representatives from the companies said that the local groundwater contains nitrates, boron and hexavalent chromium, all of which require extensive filtration. The Woodland city water supply they hope to tap into is drawn mainly from sources on the surface and doesn’t have the same problems.
Woodland’s deputy community development director Erika Bumgardner said the move would help “establish reliable operations for these longstanding regional employment centers.” In addition, it would allow the companies to stop using their onsite wells and septic systems that are nearing capacity.
Limited extension
City staff stressed that the proposal would not alter the urban limit line, which was approved by voters in 2006 and restricts growth outside of city boundaries to prevent sprawl. The request only allows the city to extend utility services to within a mile of city limits.
“(The proposal) does not adjust the urban limit line in any way and does not encourage growth outside of the urban limit line,” Bumgardner said.
Bayer and Clark Pacific would finance the connections, which include extensions to a sewer line, treated water main line and a recycled water main line.
Because of the cost, city officials said the two large companies are likely the only ones within the proposed service area who could afford to connect to city utilities. The agreement also only applies to commercial businesses and not residential connections.
According to the staff report provided ahead of the meeting, the city has the water capacity to meet the increased demand without expanding existing treatment facilities. Even if approved by voters, the city could still decide whether to extend services after taking stock of its water supply.
Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.