PLEASANTON – There is a garden hose flowing from the house of Rick Hempy to the houses of his neighbor, providing them with water to take a shower, bathe or wash the dishes.
The pipe network, which includes that of Hempy’s house, was the latest water problems in the unheeded neighborhood. Last summer, a line providing at least six houses broke, forcing the city of Pleasanton to feed the water in the houses by a fire.
But the city cut the fire fire line last week, leaving at least six houses in the district of the transmission not formed in a company without water.
Hempy said he had entered into an agreement with his neighbors to help pay what he was billed for water, but said the city “rubbed nickels trying to make things work”.
“If we were in the city of Pleasanton, it would have been repaired,” said Hempy this week. “We are the bastard son of the city of Pleasanton. They don’t want to have anything to do with us. ”
The city spokesperson Heather Tiernan said that when the private water pipe in the neighborhood broke out on August 13, 2024, the city installed a connection to a fire mouth in the region to temporarily supply water to the affected houses.
The receiving water system, said Tiernan, is private and the city cannot use public funds to repair the line. She added that the City offered free engineering services to residents to use to help repair the line. But, she said, leaving the fire water connected above the ground on the unpaved dirt road “could put the whole system in danger”.
“Fire pipes are not designed for continuous use as permanent water pipe due to the lack of structural protection, sustainability and health guarantees required for the long -term drinking water service,” Tiernan said in a press release. “Because the city’s water system is fully interconnected, a pipe rupture could have created a lane so that contaminated water enters the wider distribution system, potentially affecting water quality beyond the immediate area.”
The problem in the rejections arises while Pleasingon continues his search for new wells after recently discovered that his former wells were contaminated by products known as PFAS, which can cause cancer and other diseases. In 2019, the city began to close three of its wells and started to train to find new ones with cleaner water. Stopping reports on the new sites are expected later this year.
As part of the agent, where there are 46 houses, these last water problems are concentrated around six residences in the Vine Street district, Linden Way and Virginia Way, near the avenues Bernal and Vineyard.
TiERNAN added that four home owners in the region have agreed to recruit the city to help repair broken water driving.
Rob Schurhoff, a water without water, called the “boring” situation.
“When they cut us, I said to myself:” Well, what should I do now? “” Said Schurhoff.
He said he used a temporary makeshift pipes connection with his neighbor to bring water to his taps, toilet and shower. The shower with pipe water is not a huge concern, but he worries about his dying lawn, he said.
But, “I wouldn’t drink it,” he added.
Schurhoff said he had made a complaint against the city to try to cover the costs of the drinking water he bought and repair the broken water driving. The complaint was refused, paving the way for a trial.
The city has argued that it is up to private owners to repair their own water pipe. It is not known when the broken line will be fixed.
Debbie Martin, a tenant who is also currently based on the water of his neighbor’s pipe, said that she was initially worried about the disturbance of her water service, but has since calmed down. She lives in the same house in the leaflet in the past 37 years.
“I know that the Lord will take care of us,” said Martin. “The Lord is good. I put my hope and my faith in him. ”
Hempy, the nourishing owner of water to his neighbors, said that he had done it for several days in a row, with a good faith agreement that his neighbors will cover the increased costs of his bill.
Without its supply, its neighbors would find themselves without any running water, he said.
“We pay what everyone pays to Pleasanton on his water bill,” said Hempy. “The county of Alameda does nothing for us.”
When he bought his property 12 years ago, he said that the city and the county had made him pay tens of thousands of dollars to direct his own private water line so that the city approves the house in which he now lives.
Tuesday, motorists continued to drive the interconnected pipes of neighboring houses along rue Vine. Driving on the fire lines and the risk of breaking them and then containing the city’s water system were and were a concern for city officials.
Resident Aline Elbaz, who recently lost the whole water service, described her as “terrible” and “cruel”.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
