Canyon Watch
June 25, 2007: Tecolote Sewer Spill Detected!Monday, June 25th, 2007 at 8:50 am Jerry Poehlman, a volunteer for the Canyon Watch Program, detected gray water coming from the ground between manholes #178 and #88 in Tecolote Canyon. He estimated that contaminated sewage water was flowing at a rate of 10 gallons per minute, reaching a stream nearby. Jerry called the Sewer Emergency Hotline (619.515.3525) and alerted the San Diego Metropolitan Wastewater Department of the spill, including the exact GPS location of the source of the flowing sewage. The sewer spill originated near Mt Ashmun Drive and was actually flowing at an estimated rate of 100 gallons per minute according to the City. The Wastewater Department immediately deployed a portable dam to attempt to contain the spill. City crews are on sight trying to remove the blockage and repair the line. Read the Union Tribune Article!
Program Overview
Among the greatest treasures and natural resources we have in San Diego are our ocean and bays. Yet, every year pollutants from accidental sewage spills contaminate these waters. Sewage spills occur when a sewer pipe leaks raw sewage into the water. Often the sewage will overflow into a creek or into the street where it then flows onto a storm drain, and then directly into our natural water systems.With more than 300 miles of sewer line in our urban canyons, when there is a sewer line failure the spill can go undetected for days leaving grim impact on our rivers, bays, and beaches. To change this course, SDOF teamed up with the City of San Diego's Metropolitan Wastewater Department to form a patrol program that enlists volunteers to regularly walk sixteen of San Diego's urban canyons.