By Khalida Sarwari
Every Monday for the past four weeks, a West Valley Collection and Recycling truck has left fluid residue on the streets of Saratoga after picking up the trash, a source of frustration for some residents, and in particular one resident who lives on Idlewood Lane.
In a series of letters to the editor of this newspaper, Ron Simner recounted what he deems a problem that is being insufficiently handled by the garbage company and the city of Saratoga. The problem, he says, is that every time West Valley’s trucks come around to pick up the garbage, they spill hydraulic fluid on the street. The leak issue has been ongoing since November and has occurred on at least nine different occasions, according to Simner, who works as an expert witness and consultant in accidents involving personal watercraft. There was a span of time when the spills stopped and seemed to be under control, but in March the dripping patterns once again became visible on the streets.
At first, Simner said, he noticed the stains near his own house, but he began noticing them on other streets while riding his bicycle around the neighborhood. He found that the areas with the most prominent damage were on Pierce Road, Regan Lane, Arroyo De Arguello, Beauchamps Lane, Wardell Road and Yolo Drive. The streets all had the telltale trails of fluid drops in a similar pattern: two parallel trails perpendicular to the curb and longer trails following the direction of travel. The patterns appear to have occurred when the hydraulic arms extend to grab the bins while the truck is stationary, said Simner.
That’s when he decided to contact WVCR. Simner said he’s been in touch with WVCR district manager Glen Long, but that despite Long’s claims that his company has taken measures to prevent hydraulic fluid spills, the trucks have continued to leak oil, even with extra inspections and an employee following the trucks to monitor the streets of Saratoga.
“I keep getting assurances that they’re working on it,” he said. “They’ve really been just terrible at fixing the problem.”
The garbage company has sent its maintenance crew to place absorbent material on the impacted streets to help lift the fluid from the streets, but there are areas that weren’t cleaned completely.The damage is especially noticeable in cul-de-sacs where the trucks have to make a U-turn to exit.
The impression Simner said he’s gotten from WVCR is that the company has a management problem. He said the company didn’t even respond to him until after he wrote a letter to the newspaper.
He has also turned to the city of Saratoga, but Simner claims he hasn’t received much help there, either. He was advised to call 911, but he doesn’t agree that an issue such as an oil leak constitutes an emergency.
“I’ve had an opportunity to call 911,” he said. “I have not because I just didn’t think that was an appropriate way to go. That just doesn’t seem right to me.”
The city told Simner that there is nothing in the contract with WVCR to deal with this type of situation and that it is not clear who is responsible for cleanup, but that the city is looking into it for future contracts.
What is most frustrating, Simner said, is that there aren’t any procedures in place to address the problem and prevent it from recurring. He suggested that city officials consider studying how other cities handle toxic waste situations and consider imposing financial sanctions on the responsible parties.
“There should be penalties for this, not only because they’re leaking but because they know they have a problem and they continue to do it,” said Simner.
Hydraulic fluid is something to be taken seriously, Simner said. Not only is it toxic, but because it is a petroleum product, it accelerates the erosion of streets, which affects property values.
Long said his company has taken responsibility for the oil leaks. He said he’s been in regular contact with Simner and believes that his company has been responsive in addressing Simner’s concerns. Any time he has called about a leak, WVCR has dispatched a clean-up crew to his street right away.
“We take maintenance, safety and the environment very seriously,” he said. “We’ll do whatever we need to do to rectify any issue we might have.”
WVCR has identified the truck that’s been causing the leaks and has been cleaning it every two weeks. The truck is assigned to a collector whose route includes Simner’s home, said Long.
“It’s really drips,” he said. “We were finding maybe a dozen drips the size of a quarter on his street. It was never a spill by my definition.”
To put the amount in perspective, Long explained that WVCR’s trucks hold upwards of 55 gallons of hydraulic fluid. Still, he said, the company takes environmental concerns “very seriously” and has sent a maintenance manager every Monday to check for spots and clean up any residual mess. The company will continue to do this, Long said, “until issues with that truck are resolved.”
“We’ve been hesitant to replace it because at the end of the day we want to resolve the problem,” he said. “We have over 100 trucks, and every 14 calendar days they come into the shop and they’re being looked at on a regular basis.”
WVCR is considering temporarily taking the truck off its route, but in the meantime, Long said the company is “trying to get our arms around what’s wrong with this truck. ” This particular truck is about six or seven years old, according to Long. Typically, WVCR replaces its trucks every 10 years, which is around the time when they start getting worn out.
Long encouraged any resident that encounters similar issues to call WVCR’s customer service line at 408.283.9250.
“Just give us a call; we’re willing to talk to anybody, anytime,” he said.
