City of Oakland Public Works Department addressed this issue on 10/27/2014, service request # 547565.

Dear Donavan,
Has this really been secured, as you suggested?

The issue was resolved, but it will overflow next rain. Every time it rains the manhole pops off and garbage comes out, the drain much be clogged or something.

Dear DPW,

Please note the comment above by Mr. Donavan.

What can be done so that this is not a "new" issue with every rainfall this winter?

The City of Oakland Public Works Department has received this issue. It is registered as service request # 548075. Please check back for status updates or contact us directly at (510) 615-5566.

Dear Sir or Madam,

Thank you for contacting the Department of Public Works regarding this matter. This information has been forwarded to a Senior Supervisor in the Sewer Department for feedback. For additional information regarding this particular issue please contact the Sewer Hotline at (510) 615-5969.

Thank you.

After the rain today the manhole has popped open again.
I looked at it furing the rain and water is not only pouring out the top but out from around the base too. It seems the whole structure is compromised and creating a massive hole in the side of the hillside

Dear Donovan & DPW,

Please do not allow this issue to undermine the hillside, and homes on top; ala the McKillop Slide!

Senior Supervisor of the Sewer Department,
There is obviously a blockage further down the line causing a backup. If there is sewage flowing in to Sausal Creek it could result in a heavy fine for the City of Oakland as well as damage to the creek and hillside. I suggest determining where the blockage is and clear it immediately. Thank you for addressing the situation.

During the rain today, the water is spewing again and the manhole is yet again exposed

Does this mean that raw sewage and garbage are flowing into Sausal Creek? If so, this is a public health risk, a threat to the wildlife in Sausal Creek, and damaging to the hillside. Please fix ASAP.

Yes as I can see there is garbage flowing into the creek.

If you can document that raw sewage is flowing into Sausal creek please contact Calif Fish and Wildlife also try contacting Alameda Co Environmental health and the Friends of Sausal creek.

I've contacted the Friends of Sausal Creek.

The longer this is left unattended the more serious the consequences. Please raise the priority.

Dear Sir or Madam,

Service request# 551746, is open with the OPW Sewer Division for investigation and abatement today.

Thank you

just checked in on it after work and its overflowing totally. causing massive erosion to the hillside and all spewing into Sausal creek.

The comment today from the PWA was misleading then. They said it would be abated today.

Since it is a public health & safety issue, and it is triggered when it rains, time is of the essence.

Thank you for your request. According to our system, we already have an open service request at this location. Your service request has been combined with service request # 551746 . If you would like to check the status of the request, please contact the Public Works Call Center at (510) 615-5566 or pwacallcenter@oaklandnet.com.

After todays Rains the Manhole is missing, it must have been washed down the hillside, so Now it is very dangerous. I placed a Sign noting the hole's location, in case there is any problem finding the hole.

Dear OPW, Sewer Division:
You wrote this:
"Service request# 551746, is open with the OPW Sewer Division for investigation and abatement today,11-20-2014."
But you DID NOT ABATE. This n'hood has LOTS of children, about to go on holiday school break: manhole cover has WASHED AWAY, leaving exposed, large pipe opening. This is an urgent public hazard: please prioritize!

just posting a newer photo taken today to show how much erosion has already occured

City of Oakland Public Works Department addressed this issue on 11/24/2014, service request # 551746.

On some of these issues like this one the PWD might want to back up the closure with a photo. I am sure someone on these crews has a smart phone and they should have a SCF app.

So i took another photo and posted it today. It certainly is not fixed. Still dangerous as ever.

The City of Oakland Public Works Department has received this issue. It is registered as service request # 552365. Please check back for status updates or contact us directly at (510) 615-5566.

WOW. First acknowledged a month ago (10/25): An OPEN manhole, with enticing little "ladder" to climb, in a n'hood with kids, and this issue cannot get fixed for 4 weeks and counting?
How is this possible? :-(

The crew came out 2 days ago and placed the lid back on
They did some work to the pipe too. But will keep a eye on this during next rain storm

This is ridiculous. Raw sewage flowing into a creek, an open manhole posing a threat to kids (and dogs and anyone else who climbs near it), a hillside being eroded with the city on the hook for the damages (and any harm to the houses above). How bad are the other issues the dept. is dealing with for this to be so far down the list? Scarey.

Just checked again today, snd the rains came and popped the lid off again.

Wow - I think Donavan has done a great job of following up on this. Now it's up to the city to do the same.

WOW! is right: Dear DPW: Why does the Sewer Division - who you handed this issue off to ("Service request# 551746, is open with the OPW Sewer Division")- waste time/effort applying a "bandaid", instead of fixing the underlying _cause_ of the lid continually popping off?

Five weeks later, still no resolution, with:
~continued creek-to-bay pollution
~continued creek bank erosion
~continued physical hazard to n'hood children!?!
33 comments and counting on this one issue; what's it going to take?

So one more week go's by and the sewer line is still jammed up yes jammed up.These cast iron lids are very heavy. It takes a lot of pressure to push them off. Tthis is not rocket science.The sewer crew that closed this should be embarrassed.

F.Y.I. - Last night I sent this thread/issue to : Bruce (Libby's office), Kimra (FoSC) and Annie (D-4 CM-elect)... "Squeaky wheels/grease", and all that...
:-)

I also sent it to Libby and Bruce this morning.

Although not certain how much squeakier we could be with 36 comments over 37 days. It's ridiculous.

Update:

There are a couple of City workers, likely supervisors (sewer division), looking over the situation right now. Hopefully they can locate the blockage and get it cleared soon. The hillside is really getting eroded, so obviously sooner is better as there are several more days of rain predicted.

Thank you to D4 CM-elect Annie Campbell-Washington for contacting Call Center Mgr. on our behalf!

reply to Annie from Ms. Jones:
(Tues, Dec. 2, 2014)
Thanks for your email and please be assured that our Drainage Unit is aware and are following up. Staff has confirmed that this is NOT a sewer manhole and there is NO sewage leaking into Sausal Creek. A stubborn plug within the manhole has been discovered; crews are working on dissolving.

--Sabrina

SABRINA D. JONES
Public Works Call Center Manager
City of Oakland | Public Works Dept | APWA Accredited
7101 Edgewater Dr, Building Two | Oakland, CA 94621
(510) 615-5509 | (510) 615-5554 Fax
sdjones@oaklandnet.com
Report A Problem | Call Center - Bureau of Admin | (510) 615-5566
www.oaklandpw.com | opwcallcenter@oaklandnet.com | Mobile app: SeeClickFix

It's good to know that it is a drainage pipe and not a sewer line. However, I went down to the creek yesterday and saw a large slide directly below the manhole area. A great deal of dirt and rocks and some trees have slid down the hillside and into the creek. Forty days after the manhole cover was reported, the hillside is still sliding and it continues to rain...

Now the City will have step up with some sort of restoration plan to keep further damage to the water shed. This needs to forwarded to the friends of Sausal Creek.

David + Pete:
That would be Kimra McAfee, coordinator@sausalcreek.org

Hi everyone,

Kimra McAfee with Friends of Sausal Creek here. I just spoke to our city Watershed Program liaison. As written above, this is a storm drain not a sewer line. Storm drain maintenance crews have identified that there is some type of clog in the line. Further investigation is needed on where and how to resolve it. It won't be fixed before this coming storm, but they are on it. Another department is working on a long-term fix for the erosion issues.

City crews are busy trying to prepare for many sites that may be problematic in the coming storm!

Thank you so much to all who are the eyes and ears of the creek.

Kimra

________________________________________

Kimra McAfee, Executive Director
Friends of Sausal Creek
P.O. Box 2737
Oakland, CA 94602

ph: 510.501.FOSC (3672)
e-mail: coordinator@sausalcreek.org
web: www.sausalcreek.org

Thank you, Kimra, for the timely update - lots of worry over this issue + coming rain tonight/tomorrow, etc...

City of Oakland Public Works Department addressed this issue on 12/10/2014, service request # 552365.

This issue should not be closed until assessment by DPW/EBMUD, A-F-T-E-R the rain predicted for 12/11 + 12/12! (quack.)

The City of Oakland Public Works Department has received this issue. It is registered as service request # 555096. Please check back for status updates or contact us directly at (510) 615-5566.

As a tax payer this is totally unacceptable. Any one with any plumping and storm drain experience knew with the missing steel manhole cover and the erosion damage that the line was clogged up. To put the cover back on and close the issue and call it day should be a fireable offense. They were just to lazy to try and find out the cause. I volunteer to collect trash and garbage. I have adopted storm drains. I spend a great deal of time reporting problems to the City of Oakland all PRO-BONO. So I expect a lot more from the taxpayer paid city employees.

The Oakland Public Work Department is aware of this request. Our investigation confirmed with a dye test that this is a storm drain pipe and manhole; non-sewage related. This infrastructure currently has a blockage that is not accessible. We are working with our Engineering Unit to resolve. The community should be reassured that is a non-sewage problem. Any debris or water that comes out of this manhole is storm water related. We have protected the hillside with plastic sheathing to try and avoid any more erosion. It is not necessary to continue reporting this location as it is in the queue to address.

Thank you.

Oakland Public Works Call Center

just to update, The Crew came out and covered the area with plastic and sand bags, But I can see the erosion is still occurring, It seems they are investigating how to fix the situation .

Fifty one comments and over five months later. I went to the manhole today during light rain. Manhole cover is off and on the ground below the access. Storm drain water has washed tons of dirt, rock, trees and other foliage into the creek. Black plastic covers the slope above the manhole and the plastic sheeting below the manhole has washed down the bank toward the creek. Meanwhile the pipe is still blocked resulting in further erosion of the hillside. But now, instead of flowing out of the manhole opening, the water has undermined the entire structure supporting the manhole cover and is now flowing out beneath the concrete tube that supports the cover. The resulting erosion is the same.

Here's a photo. The cover is below the concrete and sandbags. It's black and hidden a bit by the green leaves. The concrete structure is at least six feet tall to give an idea of the amount of erosion and the white in the picture is water rushing down the hillside (very light rain).

That's a ton of erosion, and all that soil and debris washed downhill and probably into the creek. Not good for the stability of the hill, the health of the creek, or the viability of that storm drain that's now 6 feet above ground level (!).

Just another note, I responded to a kid that had fell into the ditch today. he needed help to get out.
I was luckily home and heard the call for help, Grabbed my ladder and helped him climb out.
But Seriously this really needs to be taken care of.
What if No one heard this kids screaming?

Finally, there is some Progress, came home to see a back hoe there today and it seems there finally is something happening to fix this.
Thank you

I did file an Cal EPA complaint that was followed up by the bay area Water Quality Control Board. I will look though my records for that complaint number. They had several requirement that the City of Oakland needed to meet.

The Cal EPA Complaint number is 43037. Contact person is Selina Louis 510-622-2383

Here's an update on the construction progress from Oakland Public Works. Thank you to Adam Simons, Chief of Staff for Councilmember Annie Campbell Washington, for helping FOSC get an update!

On 8/26/2015 3:56 PM, Santoso, Gunawan wrote:

Currently the Contractor is working at the location of the storm drain manhole to replace approximately 49’ of the pipe downstream of the MH to eliminate all blockages from roots/debris. We are working for short term solution to make sure storm water will not be blockage anymore and looking for other options and funding to do long term fix at this location.

Gunawan Santoso, P.E., QSD, PWLF

Civil Engineer

Bureau of Engineering and Construction

City of Oakland | Oakland Public Works | APWA Accredited Agency

250 Frank Ogawa Plaza Suite 4314 | Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 238-7260 | (510) 238-7227 Fax

gsantoso@oaklandnet.com

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