EXISTING RESERVOIR AND BOOSTER PUMP STATION
The Chevy Chase 968 Reservoir was constructed in the late 1920’s. The capacity of the
existing reservoir is 14.5 million gallons (MG) and has a water depth of 21 feet. The original
structure had a wood-framed roof, which was damaged in 1933 and replaced with a concrete
roof. The reservoir has 2:1 (ratio of horizontal to vertical) sloping sides at the perimeter that
encompasses a flat concrete liner in the middle. The concrete roof is supported on concrete
columns, a perimeter parapet wall, and a hopper-shaped bottom. The existing roof also
supports approximately three feet of earth cover and golf course turf. The reservoir site is
owned by the City of Glendale, although the Country Club has an easement to maintain golf
course activities on the site. An aerial photograph of the Chevy Chase Country Club is
presented in Figure 2-3.
After the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, City staff observed numerous hairline cracks in the
column foundations. At that time, it was determined that the cracks did not adversely affect the
strength and integrity of the reservoir structure. In July 1997, during a routine inspection of the
reservoir, City staff observed numerous relatively larger cracks in the column foundations and,
in some cases, the piers (pedestals) at the base of the columns located on the sloping sides.
The cracks observed are believed to be the same ones witnessed in 1994, which had widened
and penetrated the structural components. As a result of these findings, the City commissioned
an “Analysis and Evaluation Phase I” Report in 2004 to perform a preliminary investigation,
analysis and evaluation of the structural integrity of the existing reservoir. The City’s objective
was to determine whether or not the existing reservoir was suitable for continued service in its
current condition, whether improvements were needed, or whether the reservoir needed to be
fully replaced.
The Report concluded that the reservoir and its components were inadequate and vulnerable to
future earthquakes. It was determined that without remedial measures, the reservoir faces
greater chances of significant damage or even failure during future earthquakes. The Report
recommended that the City consider replacing the reservoir. In the fall of 2004, the City
retained Boyle Engineering Corporation to provide planning and engineering services for the
proposed reservoir replacement.
During the investigation of the proposed reservoir replacement, it became clear that the existing
1290 booster pump station is nearing the end of its useful life. The original building was
not constructed to current seismic standards, and has since been retrofitted with wood beam reinforcement. The booster pump station delivers water to the 1290 pressure zone via
two pumps, each with a capacity of 1,150 gallons per minute (gpm). However, only one pump
can operate at a time. Dual pump operation would provide better capacity during peak use
periods and more flexibility during maintenance or in the event of unexpected problems
elsewhere in the system. The existing pump station building is located approximately 150 feet
to the south-southwest immediately beyond the copse of trees and vegetation surrounding the
southern half of the proposed project site. It is within the maintenance yard of the golf course,
which is set to the edge of the golf course property adjacent to Chevy Chase Drive, and is
accessed by a private drive branching off the parking lot located next to the main entrance road
of the Chevy Chase Country Club.
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CITY OF GLENDALE WATER AND POWER
GWP provides water service to approximately 200,000 residents, covering an area of
approximately 31 square miles. There are 30 storage facilities and 28 pump stations that
deliver a combination of groundwater and imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California (MWD). There are seven major pressure zones within GWP’s potable water
supply system. The two lowest zones are 724 feet and 968 feet, which correspond to the high
water level (HWL) for the reservoirs that serve these pressure zones. All GWP water supply
sources enter the system at the 724 service zone or the 968 service zone.
Within the 968 service zone there are five major potable reservoirs, including the following:
- Brand Park Reservoir 10 to 20 MG
- Glorietta Reservoir 35.70 MG
- Chevy Chase Reservoir 14.50 MG
- Glenoaks Reservoir 9.10 MG
- Melwood Reservoir 1.80 MG
The Chevy Chase 968 Reservoir is situated within Chevy Chase Canyon (canyon) in the City of
Glendale. Due to topographical constraints, the primary water supply pipeline to the reservoir is
long and runs from the bottom of the canyon north to the reservoir through a 16-inch main line.
The primary source of supply for the Chevy Chase 968 Reservoir is the Verdugo Metro Pump
Station. The reservoir is situated about three-fourths of the way up the canyon, so that it
provides gravity pressure service to residents in the middle and lower portions of the canyon. At
the existing Chevy Chase 968 reservoir, a booster pump station delivers water to the higher
1290 service zone, but can draw directly from the inlet/outlet line if the reservoir is off-line, as
would occur during construction of a new reservoir, for example. The 1290 Zone includes three
booster pumping stations to higher elevations in Chevy Chase Canyon served by the Chevy
Chase and Emerald Isle 1666 Zone Tanks and the even higher Chevy Chase 1810 Tank and
Emerald Isle 1830 Tank.
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PROJECT DESIGN HISTORY AND SCOPING MEETINGS
Prior to selecting a recommended location for the proposed replacement reservoir, GWP
conducted an analysis of three possible sites. Additionally, several tank sizes and combinations
of locations were considered. The City’s objective was to comprehensively evaluate all feasible
possibilities prior to proceeding with design plans. The three possible sites that were analyzed
are listed below:
- Site 1: Current location in Chevy Chase Country Club golf course,
- Site 2: A location in western part of the golf course, and
- Site 3: A hillside on the western side of Chevy Chase Canyon accessed by Edmonton Road.
These sites were selected based on elevation - a high water elevation of 968 feet above mean
sea level (msl). In addition to a single 14.5 MG reservoir at one of these three sites, three other
configurations were considered in which the storage would be split between two reservoirs with
a combined capacity of 14.5 MG. The six alternatives considered were as follows:
- Alternative A: A single 14.5 MG reservoir at Site 1,
- Alternative B: A single 14.5 MG reservoir at Site 2,
- Alternative C: A single 14.5 MG reservoir at Site 3,
- Alternative D: One 7.25 MG reservoir at Site 1 and one 7.25 MG reservoir at Site 2,
- Alternative E: One 11.0 MG reservoir at Site 1 and one 3.5 MG reservoir at Site 2, and
- Alternative F: One 10.0 MG and one 4.5 MG reservoir at Site 1.
In order to solicit public input, GWP held public meetings on April 6 and April 20, 2005 at the
Chevy Chase Country Club. Project representatives discussed the advantages and
disadvantages of each alternative. Based on public response, careful consideration of the
feasibility of each alternative and the potential environmental impacts, Alternative A was chosen
and is the proposed project analyzed in this IS/MND. Based on additional discussions among
City staff and taking into account public feedback, City staff selected a parallelogram
configuration, with six sides and 24 feet in depth, for the proposed replacement reservoir.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING
The proposed project site and existing reservoir are located on the golf course at the Chevy
Chase Country Club. The project site is zoned SR, Special Recreation, which is a zone
intended to provide and protect public and private open space and recreational uses (Glendale
Municipal Code, Section 30.15.010). The neighborhood surrounding the project site is zoned
R1R, Restricted Residential. Single-family residential homes surround the golf course.
The reservoir is entirely underground and has two golf holes in the immediate vicinity of the site.
The golf course contains a total of 10 holes where eight of the holes are played twice to
complete a full round of 18 holes. The line of play for holes 5 and 14 crosses the northeastern
portion of the construction area and the line of play for holes 4 and 13 crosses near the outer
western edge of the site. The majority of the project site is covered by maintained golf turf
grass. Numerous landscaping trees wrap around the southern half of the project site.
Ornamental/Developed areas consist of ornamental landscaping (including turf) and paved cart
paths. Native species observed on the project site include coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia)
and western sycamore (Platanus racemosa). Ornamental (non-native) species observed on the
project site include turf grasses, ficus (Ficus sp.), juniper (Juniperus sp.), oleander (Nerium sp.),
palm (Washingtonia spp.), pine (Pinus sp.), gum (Eucaplyptus sp.), myoporum (Myoporum
laetum), deodar cedar (Cedrus deodora), Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius),
elderberry (Sambucus Mexicana), laurel sumac (Malosma laurina), and toyon (Heteromeles
arbutifolia).
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