ORLAND, Calif. — A community is divided as the City of Orland puts a halt to the one million-gallon water tank project. A special meeting was held on Thursday to address the community's concerns and go over project logistics.
The property, off 6th and Mill streets, was purchased five years ago by the City of Oroville with intentions of developing city infrastructure. “We bought it with the intention, a stated intention in a public meeting, that this would be the site of a public safety building—police and fire and ground-mounted water storage tank,” said Pete Carr, Orland City Manager. Mechanical Mixing Tank
Funding was secured from the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to create a water tank that sits 32 ft. x 85 ft. wide and holds up to one million gallons.
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People who live in Orland have expressed concerns and frustrations over the water tank. “This all just seems to be about there's this opportunity to get money from another agency,” said one community member opposed to the project. “They look at it as free money but it's not free money, it costs all of us and they need to be taken into consideration too when they are making these decisions.”
Other members of the community told KRCR that they felt like this project was rushed and left them feeling blindsided by such a large addition to the city.
Thursday’s special meeting was initially intended to be a further explanation of the million-gallon water tank and a breakdown of the logistics. However, the meeting turned into long conversations about funding, issues with site permits, and overall timing.
Due to a lack of agreement, information, and possible permits, the council put a halt on the development, something that citizens appreciate moving forward. “If we aren't doing our job we can't expect them to do their job, they are humans just like everybody else,” said the Oroland local at the special meeting Thursday.
The City of Orland says there is a ticking clock on this project as the funding from DWR expires in June of 2025, Carr confirmed the city will have 30 days to decide on what happens next.
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