Dimond's Sausal Creek filled with sewage ... again

Published on Friday, March 18, 2011
Last updated on 08:31AM, Monday, March 21, 2011
Sausal creek emerges! by Fragmentary Evidence/www.flickr.com/photos/fragmentaryevidence/3422390746/

Sausal creek emerges! by Fragmentary Evidence/www.flickr.com/photos/fragmentaryevidence/3422390746/

Residents around Sausal Creek between the Leimert Bridge and El Centro Avenue in Oakland's Dimond District are worrying because of the huge amount of sewage that has run through the creek in the past week, turning it a poop-filled sewer. 

Loren Little, a public works supervisor for the city of Oakland Department of Infrastructure and Operations, Sewer Maintenance Department, filed a report he shared with the community that approximately 84,000 gallons of sewage had spilled out of a nearby manhole and into Sausal Creek.

According to Little, "The cause of this overflow is possible sabotage. Work crews are pulling large rocks out of manholes as well as the main line."

This problem comes on the heels of an earlier complaint in February 2011 by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. In August 2010, about 4,000 gallons were discharged from a water truck into a storm drain. A dead fish was discovered by a Oakland city employee who was checking a restoration project at Sausal Creek in Dimond Park.

Is this latest spill relevant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Justice Department, California Water Boards and San Francisco Baykeeper lodging an order on March 15 that will settle a Clean Water Act enforcement action against seven municipalities in the East Bay Municipal Utility District and improve water cleanliness?  

According to the EPA, "The settlement is part of a broader enforcement strategy to address sewage overflows to the San Francisco Bay, especially during rain events. During this most recent rainy season, which began in October 2010, nearly 125 million gallons of untreated or partially treated sewage from EBMUD’s wet weather facilities overflowed into the San Francisco Bay during wet weather."

About Susan Mernit
Susan Mernit is the founder of Oakland Local. She is also a circuit rider for The Community Information Challenge, a program of The John S and James L Knight Foundation, and a consultant to non-profit and community organizations. Susan lives in North Oakland, near the Santa Fe school, with her partner, her housemate, a rescue dog named Cazzie, and a yard full of ants. She is an aspiring gardener, a long-time blogger & entrepreneur, and a recovering journalist who's found home in Oakland.
Barbara MacLean commented at Fri, 18 Mar at 3:17pm

Any suggestions for what we can do to keep this from continuing to happen? We walk on Sausal Creek every weekday morning and yesterday (March 17) saw the City of Oakland people trying to pump the creek - again! But there were no danger/warning signs anywhere around and this morning there was no evidence there had been any problem at all. I would like to understand why this keeps happening and what - if anything - the city is doing to address the problem. 

Susan Mernit commented at Sat, 19 Mar at 5:34am

Barbara, there has been a HUGE amount of Federal, state and county effort around the issue f sewage being passed into the Bay-I'd like to think that protecting this creek falls into that umbrella, but I need to verify to what extent that is the case.

Kimra McAfee commented at Tue, 22 Mar at 2:09pm

The City of Oakland has recently improved their reporting system so that the Friends of Sausal Creek (FOSC) is now getting information on sewage spills directly from the City which we will in turn pass on to the community via our listserv.  You can join the FOSC listserv by emailing coordinator@sausalcreek.org or by going to http://lists.sausalcreek.org/listinfo.cgi/fosc-sausalcreek.org.  We will also keep listserv members updated on the outcome of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board's complaint against EBMUD in response to the Sausal Creek fish kill in August 2010.

We recently added a link to the FOSC website to help community members figure out to whom to report creek problems:  http://www.sausalcreek.org/contacts/report.html

FOSC is a nonprofit volunteer-based community organization founded in 1996 to promote awareness and enhancement of Sausal Creek and its watershed.  Our mission is to restore native habitat within the Sausal Creek watershed; to educate children and adults about the benefits of healthy watershed ecology; and to inspire them to preserve the watershed as a unique natural community resource.  If you would like to learn more about our volunteer opportunities or would like to receive our bimonthly e-newsletter, please contact Kimra McAfee at coordinator@sausalcreek.org or (510) 501-3672.

 

Susan Mernit commented at Wed, 23 Mar at 12:53pm

Kimra--thanks, your groups does god work. In turn, feel free to send story tips and ideas to editor@oaklandlocal.com

FloodedByCEDA commented at Tue, 29 Mar at 10:14am

Every Oakland home pays about $20 per month for sewer maintenance.(EBMUD collects the money on our water bills and gives it to the city) Unfortinately a lot of the money is diverted to other city (mis)uses. fund 3100. The funds that actualy are spent on sewer rehabilition are a big waste of our money. The City does not follow the state standards for sewer rehabilitation. Our "rehabilated" sewers are full of gaps and leaks. The proper seals and couplings specified in the Rehab contracts are being left out. As a result our creeks are full of s**t and our sewer tax will be increasing 16% this year.

this is well documented

http://www.macarthurmetro.org/200310/shen/338