Dumping of sewage no longer allowed in Castro Valley manhole

CASTRO VALLEY, Calif. - Septic tank service trucks are no longer allowed to dump raw sewage into a manhole in a Castro Valley neighborhood following complaints exposed in a 2 Investigates report last month.

A letter dated June 14 was sent to residents stating the Castro Valley Sanitary District has chosen to suspend discharge permits for trucks hauling wastewater and dumping along the sidewalk on Norbridge Avenue just west of Nunes Avenue. This ends "until further notice" a program the district had launched in 2015, which had allowed trucks hauling sewage to legally dump at the assigned manhole.

Neighbors in May told 2 Investigates that they’ve complained for years to various agencies about the repeat dumping and couldn’t understand why the sanitary district managers would pick a neighborhood street and sidewalk as the selected site to dump human waste.

At the time, the sanitation district stood by its practice.

But this week's letter shows the sanitary district said it wants time to perform a review and evaluation of the discharge process. The companies hauling wastewater have been told no dumping is allowed until further notice and Castro Valley Sanitary District will be periodically monitoring the manhole on Norbridge Avenue to ensure discharges do not continue.

Last fiscal year, the sewage program generated more than $20,000 for Castro Valley. The district explained the spot was chosen because the manhole connects to larger pipes capable of handling thousands of gallons of sewage, opposed to other spots in the district.

Since the 2 Investigates report several weeks ago, neighbors said they have not seen a single truck on their street.

“The airing of this issue brought attention and resolve to an issue we have been facing for years,” neighbor Jason Wright said. “I will speak on behalf of my neighbors to say that since the airing of this issue we have had a better way of life as the trucks have not returned!”

If neighbors notice any trucks dumping in neighborhood manholes, they are asked to call the Castro Valley Sanitary District front desk at 510-537-0757.