The City of Los Banos Public Works Department is committed to serving the needs of residents by providing quality water and wastewater utility services. The Public Works Department main office is located under the City of Los Banos Water Tower at 411 Madison Avenue.
The Public Works Department reviews plans for residential and commercial developments. The department oversees and performs inspections on construction in existing and future public rights-of-way, and all public improvements. Public Works staff monitors the Water Conservation Program, and annually visits local elementary school classrooms to share information about water, and its value as one of our most precious natural resources.
The Public Works Department has completed Water, Sewer Collection, and Storm Drainage Master Plans. Through stringent water monitoring standards, and vigilant maintenance of our miles of utility service lines, the Public Works Department remains committed to the health and well being of the residents of the City of Los Banos. The department maintains the City’s storm drainage system. This system is designed to manage the runoff of rainwater, and minimize the impact of significant rainfall, which ultimately flows into local irrigation canals and neighboring wetlands.
Mindful of our responsibility as caretakers of the environment, the Public Works Department is committed to working with State and Federal Agency guidelines on water and storm drainage awareness issues in our community.
The goal of the City’s Storm Water Management Program is to ensure that the City’s storm drainage system is properly working to help prevent flooding and to protect Water Quality!
Storm Drain System vs. Sanitary Sewer System
Storm drain and sanitary sewer systems have two distinct functions and it is very important for people to understand the difference.
Curbs and gutters establish the grades for roadways and collect water from rains and runoff. Curbs provide a break or stop between roadways and pedestrian travelways, and gutters typically move water from the roadway to storm water catch basins or drains.
Catch basins are the entryway into the Storm Drain System and are typically located at the bottom of a hill or at street corners. This system collects and transports water and other liquids away from these areas and out to a local waterway untreated. The Storm Drain System does not remove pollutants from water before it is discharged. Nothing besides clean water should be dumped or allowed to flow into a storm drain.
The Sanitary Sewer System collects wastewater from indoor plumbing such as sinks, toilets, washing machines, and floor drains where it is transported through underground pipes to a sewage treatment plant. The wastewater treatment plant removes many pollutants from wastewater before it is discharged. Improper disposal of wastes (animal, household, and yard) is very harmful to the environment, hazardous to public health, and violates state and federal law. Waste materials from homes and businesses include paint, pesticides, fertilizers, lawn and garden clippings, animal waste, cleansers, and may more. Even water-soluble cleaning products contain chemicals that are harmful to aquatic life and drinking water supplies.
Encroachment Permits are required for any alterations of improvements to facilities with in the City’s right-of-way. This right-of-way includes the sidewalks, driveway approaches, curbs, gutters, alleys, and streets. An Encroachment Permit ensures that any work performed is completed to the City of Los Banos’ standards for such work and improvements.
Encroachment Permits are restricted to licensed contractors only. The code also limits the use of the City’s right-of-way to prohibiting the stockpiling and the storing of building materials, construction dumpsters, dirt, gravel, and any other construction debris or materials.
Applications for the Encroachment Permits are obtained from and filed with the Public Works Department at 411 Madison Ave., Los Banos, California.
Inspections for Encroachment Permits are performed by the Public Works Department. A detailed diagram or a set of engineered plans is required to accompany permit applications. For minor modifications, a detailed diagram is sufficient. On larger projects, a set of engineering plans will be required. Should you have any questions regarding your project, please contact the Public Works Department at (209) 827-7056.
The Street Services Division of the Public Works Department is responsible for the maintenance, repair, and improvements of the City’s 130 miles of streets, 5 miles of alleys, 260 miles of curb & gutter, and 216 miles of sidewalks. The Street Services Division accomplishes a wide range of duties that include pavement management, concrete improvements, sidewalk maintenance, painting street & curb markings, traffic signs & signals, bridges, minor construction, flood control, weed abatement, traffic surveys, and leaf removal.
Operations
Public Works Main Office: 411 Madison Avenue (209) 827-7056
Normal Business Hours: 8am to 5pm (Monday-Friday)
PW Operations Office: 1015 F Street (209) 827-7044
Normal Business Hours: 7am to 4pm (Monday-Friday)
Pavement Improvement Program
Life Cycle of Asphalt
Well-designed and well-built asphalt roads will last about 25 years. However, no matter how good a road is constructed, the asphalt will begin to deteriorate almost immediately. Over time the materials that make up asphalt begin to break down and become affected by elements such as rain, sunlight, and chemicals that come into contact with the pavement surface. Roads that experience a high volume of vehicle traffic will deteriorate at a faster rate than roads less traveled.
How We Measure the Quality of a Road
The overall quality and condition of a road is measured using the Pavement Condition Index (PCI). PCI is a numerical index between 0 and 100, with 100 representing the best possible condition and 0 representing the worst possible condition. Pavement features such as the existence of cracking and potholes will impact the PCI classification. PCI is not a measure of drivability. Zero PCI does not necessarily mean that a road cannot be driven, but probably means it will be a very bumpy ride.
Add information here about the PCI condition for Los Banos and how often the PCI is measured. Include information about best practices for increasing the PCI level.
Types of Road Treatments
There are more than a dozen ways you can treat a road, from a simple fog seal to complete road reconstruction. But we’ve broken these down to three major categories Preventive, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction and have included some of the more common treatments within each of those categories.
Preventive
The goal of Preventive maintenance is to maintain or improve the functional condition of the road, slow the rate of deterioration, and extend the life of the road by five to seven years. By slowing the rate of deterioration, we can delay, or completely eliminate, the need for major rehabilitation or reconstruction in the future. Preventive maintenance treatments can be done independently or combined with other treatments to help extend the life of the road. Some of the more common Preventive maintenance treatments used in Los Banos include crack seals, slurry seals, and thin overlays.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation treatments are carried out on roads that exhibit distresses and failures like block cracking, rutting, shoving and potholes that are beyond being fixed with preservation maintenance techniques, but aren’t severe enough to warrant complete reconstruction. Rehabilitation treatments used in Los Banos include Chip Seals Cape Seals, asphalt remove and replace (Dig-Outs), and overlays. The goal of Rehabilitation treatments is to help create a safer driving surface, improve the overall appearance, provide a seal to repel moisture from damaging the base and extend the useful life of the existing pavement by eight to ten years.
Reconstruction
Reconstruction involves the complete replacement of the road with new or reused asphalt which can have a useful life upwards of 20 years. Reconstructed roads are most favorable to drivers but are also the most costly. By comparison, Preventive maintenance treatments can cost as little as $1,200 per lane mile while Reconstruction can run as much as $261,000 per lane mile. In addition, Reconstruction projects can take several months to design and construct, making it very disruptive to drivers and adjacent businesses.
Los Banos has 5 miles of alley right-of-ways. The older sections of Los Banos were built with an access for public utilities. These alleys are also used for garbage pickup and access for residents behind their property. Every year in the spring the city cleans up the weeds and overgrowth to keep the alleys accessible and safe from fire hazard. All alleys within the city are paved with either a hot asphalt mix or a cold asphalt mix. This makes the alley right-of-ways easily accessible in the winter months, as well. Residents are responsible for all other items and any materials directly behind their property, in the alley.
(Placing such items or debris in the alley is a violation of local ordinances.)
NOTE: All ordinance violations can be issued a monetary fine to promote compliance.
A spring and fall cleanup is offered to all Los Banos residents for the purpose of discarding unwanted items. Residents can dispose of tires, oil, TV’s, appliances, furniture, metal, garbage, etc. free of charge, at the designated location.
Handicap Street Corners
American Disability Act (ADA) Compliance Plan
A 2004 fall survey of the street intersections in Los Banos revealed a number of street corners without a handicap accessible ramp. A focused effort will be applied to bring corners into compliance starting with sidewalk and/or curb & gutter that are adjacent to other repairs being made.
418 total number of corners w/o ADA accessibility
50 number of corners w/o sidewalks leading up to the corner
368 number of corners w/sidewalks leading up to the corner
$800 average cost per corner
3 days w/3 personnel average time allotment per corner
20 Year Compliance Plan
The following figures reflect a workable plan for bringing our city up to compliance at intersections where pedestrian traffic is designated. Some of the corners in question will be improved as development occurs. This will reduce the overall compliance time period.
20 corners per year installed/improved
$16,000 cost/yr to install 20 corners per year
12 weeks/yr needed to complete 20 corners per year
NOTE:
Work began January 1, 2005 on the compliance plan for completing all street intersections in Los Banos with ADA corners. A projected completion date is December 31, 2024.
Leaf Removal
Fall is a beautiful time of the year, with the leaves changing colors and falling. One of our services to residents, in the City, is the removal of unwanted leaves. The city’s leaf removal program begins when the accumulation of leaves, in the street, are more than what the street sweeping machine can handle in a timely manner. The first phase of the leaf removal involves the use of leaf suction (vacuum) machines. These machines are most efficient when the leaves being raked out into the street, from your yard, are raked into a windrow. These windrows should be no higher than your knees and far enough from parked vehicles for the removal equipment to effectively and safely pick up the windrows. The leaf suction machines are NOT designed to pick up grass clipping, tree clippings/branches, garden clippings (such as vines or palm branches), or other debris.
(Placing such debris in the street is a violation of local ordinances.)
Residential green waste should be placed in the container for green waste. Leaves can be placed in the green waste containers. Leaf suction operators will attempt to remove piles with some debris in them. However, when the debris clogs the suction machines the operators may avoid such piles altogether, leaving them behind.
After the Thanksgiving weekend, the leaf removal program gets into full swing. With the onset of the seasonal rains, raking the leaves away from the curb, at least a couple of feet, helps keep the leaves from restricting the drainage of rainwater. The accumulation of leaves in the gutter when it’s raining increases the probability of flooding. If the leaves are left in the gutter during the rains, they become saturated, making them more difficult to pick up and increasing the likelihood of water pooling and flooding in the streets. Keep parked vehicles far enough away from the leaves that are piled in the street to improve proper removal of the piles.
Remind children that it is dangerous to play in the leaf piles that are in the street. Such activity should be strongly discouraged by parents.
During the leaf removal season please give way to the removal equipment. Be aware of the crews as they remove leaf piles throughout the city. The Street Services Division’s primary objective for leaf removal is to work one step ahead of the regular street sweeping rotation. When the sounds of the machines or crews coming through your area initiate your enthusiasm to rake out your leaves and the operation seems to pass you by, be assured the crews will return, probably not that day. The City crew will continue performing this maintenance activity into the new year until the leaf removal has returned to a level where the regular street sweeper can handle the street sweeping duties in a timely manner.
Your cooperation will improve the efficiency of this seasonal maintenance activity.
Any questions or comments can be directed to the Operations Office, (209) 827-7044.
Public Right-of-Way (ROW) violations
Street Related City Ordinances
Riding bicycles, motorized scooters, skateboards, roller blades, roller skates on sidewalks in a business district.
Driving vehicles and trailers over sidewalk sections which are not designed for such traffic.
Posting advertisement signs, yard/garage sale signs, lost/found signs, and related signs on utility poles, public fences, traffic sign posts, trees, or light poles.
Painting any curb, sidewalk or street without authorization of the Traffic Safety Committee.
Storing or discarding household items, furniture, appliances, yard/tree trimmings, vehicles/parts, hazardous waste, construction products/waste, dirt, rock, or wood chips in alleys, in streets, or on sidewalks
Changing oil or working on vehicles in the street.
Parking in an alley right-of-way.
Parking RV’s, trailers, and boats on a City right-of-way.
NOTE: All ordinance violations can be issued a monetary fine to promote compliance.
The Los Banos Airport is a General Aviation Airport located in the gorgeous Central Valley. The Los Banos Airport offers a newly refurbished 3,800′x75′ runway with a full return taxi way. There are hangers and tie downs available for long term rental or day use. The Airport is centrally located within the City of Los Banos and is within walking distance of great restaurants and hotels. For hotel, restaurant and car rental information please visit the Los Banos Chamber of Commerce website at www.losbanos.com. Fly in to Los Banos for the great gas prices, stay to enjoy the great food, great fishing, hunting and the great small town atmosphere.
The Public Works Department of the City of Los Banos performs airport maintenance and operations. Financial support for Airport operations is obtained primarily income generated from hanger rentals, land leases, tie-down fees, and Avgas. The Airport also receives an annual Grant from the State of California that is used for maintenance and operations, with safety items having priority in the allocation of funds.
The City completed an Airport Master Plan in 1995. The Master Plan covers the City’s plans for the Airport until 2015. The plan is available for viewing at the City of Los Banos Public Works office located at 411 Madison Avenue or at Los Banos City Hall, 520 J Street. For further viewing information, please call the Los Banos Public Works office at (209) 827-7056.
The City of Los Banos is appreciative of the help of the Los Banos Airport Advisory Commission. This Commission serves as an advisory to the Los Banos City Council in matters regarding the development and operations of the Airport. The Commissioners work diligently to ensure that all of the community and commercial aviation needs are expressed. The Airport Advisory Commission meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 5:00pm. Meetings are held at the Los Banos City Hall Council Chambers. These meeting are open to the public. Please stop by and learn about what your Airport has to offer. Meeting agendas are available on the City of Los Banos website.
The Airport is operational 24 hours a day, offering an automated self serve fuel station (100LL and Jet A available). To view our competitive gas prices please visit www.100ll.com or www.airnav.com . There is also a privately owned aviation shop located on the Airport site. Mid-Valley Aviation is available day or night at (209) 826-5677 or (209) 769-9742.
For information regarding hanger, tie-down, land leases or office space rental please call City of Los Banos Public Works Department at (209) 827-7056.
FOR CASH FUEL AFT HRS CALL 209-827-7070. 24 HR AUTOMATED FUEL AVBL WITH MAJOR CREDIT CARD.
Parking:
Tiedowns available for rent
Airframe service:
MINOR
Powerplant service:
MAJOR
Bottled oxygen:
NONE
Bulk oxygen:
NONE
Runway Information
Runway 14/32
Dimensions:
3800 x 75 ft. / 1158 x 23 m
Surface:
asphalt, in fair condition
Weight bearing capacity:
Single wheel:
23.0
Runway edge lights:
medium intensity
RUNWAY 14
RUNWAY 32
Latitude:
37-04.112430N
37-03.553155N
Longitude:
120-52.367645W
120-52.015998W
Elevation:
120.8 ft.
121.4 ft.
Gradient:
0.1%
0.1%
Traffic pattern:
right
left
Runway heading:
137 magnetic, 153 true
317 magnetic, 333 true
Markings:
basic, in fair condition
basic, in fair condition
Visual slope indicator:
2-light PAPI on left (3.00 degrees glide path)
2-light PAPI on left (3.00 degrees glide path)
Runway end identifier lights:
yes
yes
Touchdown point:
yes, no lights
yes, no lights
Obstructions:
35 ft. tree, 465 ft. from runway, 150 ft. right of centerline, 7:1 slope to clear
25 ft. tree, 690 ft. from runway, 215 ft. right of centerline, 19:1 slope to clear
NOT FOR NAVIGATION. Please procure official charts for flight. FAA instrument procedures published for use between 23 October 2008 at 0901Z and 20 November 2008 at 0900Z.
Public Works Contacts
To contact the Department of Public Works by phone: Business Calls Monday thru Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm: 209-827-7056
After Hours Calls for Service (water line breaks, storm water, waste water drainage, or related emergency calls)*: 209-827-7070 ext. 0 -*non-emergency police department
Department of Public Works Office: 411 Madison Avenue Los Banos, CA 93635
To contact us via e-mail on the Internet:
Nirorn Than, P.E., Public Works Director/City Engineer: nirorn.than@losbanos.org
Vacant, Public Works Operations Manager
Carlos Granillo, Public Works Operations Manager: carlos.granillo@losbanos.org
Joe Heim, Parks & Recreation Operations Manager: joe.heim@losbanos.org
Parks
Introduction
The Parks and Facilities Division maintains and operates the City’s approximately 200+ acres of parks, open space, and landscape areas. We also manage the operation and maintenance of various facilities, such as the Miller & Lux Center and the Recreation Hall, and also provide maintenance services to other departments, as needed.
The division is charged with the task of maintaining and improving the City’s Urban Forestry Program. This includes the maintenance of all City owned street trees, park trees, and all other trees considered to be publicly owned trees. We realize the value of our urban forest, and strive to maintain it, as well as improve it in the best manner possible.
We are proud of the fact that Los Banos has many well maintained parks with new playground structures for our children. This is the result of an ongoing program to replace the older playground equipment with new modern structures that meet the latest safety guidelines. We take the safety of our playgrounds seriously, and have in place a safety inspection program to ensure that our playgrounds remain the safe play areas that they are.
A proud addition to our park system is the Skateboard Park located at the Colorado Ball Park. This facility is the result of input and requests received from local young people who made their wishes known to the City Council. The facility opened in May of 1999, and has been going strong ever since. Come out and see the kids, they put on a great show.
Currently, there are plans for several new parks to be built in the near future. These new facilities will be built along with new planned developments, and range in size from small pocket parks to large multi-use parks. Currently, we are working with developers in putting together plans for the staged development of these facilities.
If you would like more information about our parks and facilities, call the Public Works Department at (209) 827-7034 or e-mail us at joe.heim@losbanos.org
The City of Los Banos promotes the planting of trees in our community. As a result Los Banos is a proud member of the Tree City USA Program.
Tree planting festivals are probably as old as civilization The first Arbor Day in the Untied States was celebrated in Nebraska on April 10, 1872. On that day, J. Sterling Morton launched his “Campaign of Tree Planting.” Shortly after that time, other states began to observe Arbor Day. Today in California, Arbor Day is observed on March 7th . This date commemorates varieties of flowers, fruits, grains, grasses, vegetables, and trees.
Arbor Day honors all trees, those of economic, aesthetic, and environmental importance. Tree appreciation and conservation, tree knowledge, and scientific tree care are closely associated with Arbor Day. Since the beginning of time, trees have been the friend of man.
What you do to your tree in the first few years of its life will affect its shape, strength, and even its life span. After selecting the right tree for the site and carefully planting it, early pruning is the most important thing you can do for a young tree. Proper pruning will save you money and give you safer, more beautiful, healthier, and easier-to-maintain trees.
The Right Tree for the Right Place
Trees provide many benefits – shade, beauty, windbreak, privacy, cleaner air, less noise, less glare, and higher property values, to name a few. But the key to these benefits is to select the right tree and plant it in the right place. This not only assures a lifetime of satisfaction, but it also keeps maintenance costs low. Select tree species that will fill a particular role or function in your landscape. Then, plant them in the right places that will enable them to fill those functions.
Don’t Top Trees!
Never cut main branches back to stubs. The sight of topped trees is all too common in the communities and along the roadways of America – trunks with stubby limbs standing naked in the landscape, trees stripped of all dignity and grace. Trees are often topped because they grow into utility wires, interfere with views or solar collectors, or simply grow so large that they worry the landowner. But, as one arborist has said, “Topping is the absolute worst thing you can do for the health of your tree”.
How to Select & Plant a Tree
Knowing what to look for in selecting trees at the nursery will give you trees that have the best possible chance to survive and grow. And planting, done with care and some knowledge of trees and their needs, will help your trees grow more rapidly and live at least twice as long as improperly planted trees.
As we move into the summer months and experience a much warmer climate, we understand that lawns, plants, and trees will require more water in order to thrive. Although more water may be necessary for maintaining your landscape, water conservation remains a priority for our community. We ask that you please continue your conservation efforts and use water wisely. Thank you for taking an active role in our community as we all work together to help conserve our water supply.
The City of Los Banos has changed landscape watering to three days per week. When your street address ends with an odd number, your watering days are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. When your street address ends with an even number, your watering days are Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. No landscaping should be irrigated on Monday. Watering times have not changed and will remain in effect year round. No watering is allowed between the hours of 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM. Please re-program your sprinkler timers to conform to our new watering schedule. If you would like assistance in setting your timers, please contact us at (209) 827-7056 to schedule an appointment.
Under the Governor’s recent drought mandate, watering is prohibited during a rain event of any measurable rain, as well as 48 hours following a rain event. Landscape irrigation systems will need to be set to “OFF” and/or “RAIN OFF” during a rain event and 48 hours following a rain event. Watering during or following a rain event is a violation and subject to a written citation. Please practice conservation throughout your home. Together, we can protect our precious water resource. Thank you for your continued cooperation during this season.
What does the City consider a wasteful use of water?
Over-watering where the water has created a sponge-like effect on the property.
Water that is running down the street or onto the sidewalks.
Watering in the rain or 48 hours after a rain event.
Watering on a day that is not allotted to your address number.
Sprinklers that are consistently watering the sidewalk instead of the yard.
Water customers who appear to be ignoring the City’s watering program.
What are the deterrents and how do they work?
If a City employee notices water waste occurring, the customer will be cited with a $15 fine payable to the City of Los Banos. The fine will be increased to $30 for a second citation and $75 for a third citation.
A medida que avanzamos en los meses de verano y experimentamos un clima más cálido, entendemos que el césped, plantas y árboles requerirán más agua para prosperar. Aunque más agua puede ser necesario para el mantenimiento de su paisaje, conservación del agua sigue siendo una prioridad para nuestra comunidad. Le pedimos que por favor continúe sus esfuerzos de conservación y utilizar el agua sabiamente. Gracias por participar activamente en nuestra comunidad ya que todos trabajamos juntos para ayudar a conservar nuestro suministro de agua.
La Ciudad de Los Banos ha cambiado el riego de paisaje a tres días por semana. Cuando su domicilio termina con un número impar, sus días de riego son el Martes, Jueves y Sábado. Cuando su domicilio termina con un número par, sus días de riego son el Domingo, Miércoles y Viernes. Ningún paisaje debe ser irrigado el Lunes. Las horas de riego no han cambiado y permanecerán vigentes durante todo el año. No se permite riego entre las horas de 11:00am a 7:00pm. Por favor, vuelva a programar sus temporizadores de riego para cumplir con nuestro nuevo programa de riego. Si desea asistencia en el establecimiento de sus temporizadores, por favor de hablar al (209) 827-7056 para concertar una cita.
Bajo el mandato reciente del gobernador sobre la sequia, está prohibido regar durante un evento de lluvia, así como 48 horas después de un evento de lluvia. Sistemas de irrigación tendrán que ser ajustado en “OFF” o “RAIN OFF” durante un evento de lluvia y 48 horas después de un evento de lluvia. Regar durante o después de un evento de lluvia es una infracción y está sujeto a una multa. Por favor practique la conservación en su hogar. Juntos, podemos proteger nuestro precioso recurso hídrico. Gracias por su continua cooperación durante esta temporada.
¿Qué considera la ciudad un despilfarro de agua?
El exceso de riego donde el agua ha creado un efecto similar a una esponja sobre la propiedad.
Agua que está corriendo por la calle o en las aceras.
Riego en la lluvia o 48 horas después de un evento de lluvia.
Riego en un día que no está asignado a su número de dirección.
Los rociadores que constantemente están regando la acera en lugar de la yarda.
Los clientes de agua que parecen estar ignorando programa de riego de la Ciudad.
¿Cuáles son los impedimentos y cómo funcionan?
Si un empleado municipal se da cuenta del despilfarro de agua que ocurre, el cliente será citado con una multa de $15 pagado a la Ciudad de Los Banos. La multa se incrementará a $30 por una segunda citación y $75 para una tercera citación.
The Sanitary Sewer System collects wastewater from indoor plumbing such as sinks, toilets, washing machines, and floor drains where it is transported through underground pipes to a sewage treatment plant. The wastewater treatment plant removes many pollutants from wastewater before it is discharged. Improper disposal of wastes (animal, household, and yard) is very harmful to the environment, hazardous to public health, and violates state and federal law. Waste materials from homes and businesses include: fat, oil and grease (FOG), paint, pesticides, fertilizers, lawn and garden clippings, animal waste, cleansers, and many more. Even water-soluble cleaning products contain chemicals that are harmful to aquatic life and drinking water supplies.
