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BACKGROUND <br /> In the Happy Valley area of southern Pleasanton, some properties are within the City <br /> limits, and other properties remain in unincorporated Alameda County. The City provides <br /> municipal water and sewer services to properties within the City limits. Properties in <br /> unincorporated Alameda County typically have private water wells and private septic <br /> systems. However, due to the Alameda County Department of Public Health's concerns <br /> about high nitrate concentrations from private septic systems and livestock <br /> contaminating groundwater, the Alameda County Department of Environmental Health <br /> (ACDEH) does not permit new septic systems in unincorporated Happy Valley area. <br /> Rather, the ACDEH encourages owners of property in unincorporated Happy Valley to <br /> connect to City water and sewer services. This can be done by an out-of-area service <br /> agreement approved by the City, the Alameda County Local Agency Formation <br /> Commission (LAFCo) and Livermore-Amador Valley Water Management Agency <br /> (LAVWMA). <br /> In September 2014, the LAFCo Board of Commissioners voted to delay approval of such <br /> out-of-area service agreements and requested that the City conduct a study to analyze <br /> the feasibility and financial impact to extend water and sanitary services throughout the <br /> entire Happy Valley area of Alameda County. The City had RMC Engineering conduct <br /> the study (the Technical Memorandum Happy Valley Water& Sewer Study Nov. 2016) to <br /> determine how and at what cost City water and sanitary sewer services could be <br /> extended into the Happy Valley area so every property could connect if desired, not just <br /> the properties close to existing City water and sanitary sewer pipelines. The RMC study <br /> determined the cost (in 2014) to extend water and sanitary sewer would be <br /> approximately $5.7 million. The study was presented to LAFCo and Alameda County. <br /> Alameda County has advised that funding is not available to construct the water and <br /> sanitary sewer extensions to properties in unincorporated Happy Valley as identified in <br /> the study. The City subsequently adopted a policy to allow properties within the <br /> unincorporated areas of Happy Valley that are within the City's urban growth boundary to <br /> apply for City water and sanitary sewer connections on a case-by-case basis [see City <br /> Council Resolution No. 17-961 (Res. 17-961), provided as Attachment 2]. If pursuant to <br /> Res. 17-961 the City approves a preannexation agreement, the property owner must still <br /> petition LAFCo for approval of an out-of-area service agreement, as well as obtain <br /> consent of LAVWMA. <br /> The subject site at 871 Sycamore Road is located in unincorporated Alameda County, <br /> but within Pleasanton's Happy Valley Specific Plan (HVSP) urban growth boundary area <br /> (see Figure 1). The site is currently occupied by a single-family residence, supported by <br /> an on-site groundwater well and septic system. An existing City-owned sanitary sewer <br /> main is located directly in the front of the site. <br /> Page 2 of 5 <br />