Hello Red Phone. I always enjoy reading your column, now I have
a question. Last weekend I took my son for a walk at the pick nick
area at the southern end of Lake Anderson, just past the bridge off
of East Dunne Avenue. With the There are a lot of old tires along
the bank.
“Hello Red Phone. I always enjoy reading your column, now I have a question. Last weekend I took my son for a walk at the pick nick area at the southern end of Lake Anderson, just past the bridge off of East Dunne Avenue. With the There are a lot of old tires along the bank. They are placed very orderly, not just thrown there, what is up with that? Aren’t old tires toxic waste? At the least it looks awful. Why is it illegal to swim in a reservoir but toxic tires (not to mention toxic gasoline and oil from boats) are OK? Thanks, just wondering.”
Red Phone: Dear Just Wondering, Red Phone contacted Tamara Clark-Shear, public information officer for Santa Clara County Parks. She said the tires were placed there in the early to mid-’80s as habitat improvement – mostly for catfish that would use the inside of the tire to lay their eggs. Later, the Santa Clara Valley Water District looked to remove the tires, but they were so buried in mud and bolted together they could not be removed.
“It was agreed upon by the water district and county parks that the best thing to do is to leave them in place and let the silt cover them up,” she said. “Any removal of the tires would stir up toxins in the water. As for the boating the small amounts of gas/oil that one might see on the surface of the water is short lived. This dissipates shortly. Also, we have a daily boat limit set for Anderson. The maximum boats allowed on the water on any given day is 170.”
As for swimming, the water district imposed the restriction at their primary and secondary drinking water reservoirs, she said. Swimming creates an even larger water quality issue. However, water skiing was not considered swimming because there is less body contact with the water.
There you have it good caller, hope that helps and you continue to enjoy the region’s fine parks.
strong>Not all the weeds are removed
“Folks entering our fair city from the north on Monterey Highway are greeted by a great crop of ugly brown weeds at the railroad underpass. Good thing the fire station is so close should they ever catch fire. Can’t something be done?”
Red Phone: Dear Weed Hater, Red Phone contacted Deputy Director of Public Works Mori Struve, who said the city’s roadside weed abatement program focuses on removing weeds from the right of way nearest to the edge of the roadway to comply with the Santa Clara County Fire Marshall’s office.
“This can mean that weeds are removed to reduce fire potential but sometimes remain if not seen as a roadside fire concern,” he said.
Good caller, hope that addresses your concern.
