Larkspur Marina residents say they’re not happy about how the city handled severe flooding this month — or that officials were apparently unaware of sewage leaks in the neighborhood.
The residents sounded off at the City Council meeting on Jan. 21, describing the inundation in the first days of the new year. Some residents, confined to their homes because of the flooding, watched water fill streets and garages as sanitation workers tried to contain raw sewage.
The neighborhood along Corte Madera Creek had sewage leaks each day from Jan. 1 to Jan. 3, according to the Ross Valley Sanitary District.
The district swiftly came out to handle the leaks, said Steve Moore, general manager of the district. He said the leaks were minor but it took significant work to “cut the spill in half.”
The district reported the incident to the state as required. City staff at the council meeting did not know a leak had occurred.
The neighborhood lagoon, which the city had partially drained in past years to accommodate predicted flooding, was not drained this time. That was because of an agreement with the homeowners association to keep the levels high during a construction project along the water.
During the flooding, the lagoon quickly filled and spilled over, overwhelming the area and the sanitary district infrastructure.
Several residents of the neighborhood spoke at the council meeting, saying the town had not been proactive enough in addressing the lagoon flood risk and did not communicate with them about the sewage leaks.
“If we had known the tide elevation would have come in 18 inches higher … we would have talked to the contractor, we would have talked to the HOA,” said Julian Skinner, director of public works. “We did not have the forecast that we needed to go and lower the lagoon.”
Public works staffers came in with pumps that weekend to try to manage the water levels. Skinner said the pumps could only do so much to keep up with the large amount of water, noting it took several days after the flood to bring the water level back down to normal.
Skinner went on to say he was not made aware of any sewage leaks in the area.
“If Ross Valley had to let the state know, I would think that Larkspur would know,” said Lei Ann Werner, a resident on Riviera Circle.
The city and the district conferred during the flooding, according to both Moore and Skinner. Moore said the city was “definitely made aware” and that the agency was “in close contact” with the municipality. He said the public works department didn’t know the details of what the sanitary district was doing, but knew it was managing risk.
Skinner said the representative had told him that the sanitary district’s system was struggling and asked if Larkspur could do anything to address levels in the lagoon.
“I was talking to the field rep from Ross Valley on and off,” Skinner said at the meeting. “He didn’t report back to me that he had any reportable occurrences throughout the event, and I haven’t received anything after.”
In some past sewage leaks, the sanitary district informed Larkspur about the situation, Skinner said, but he did not know the conditions that led to that reporting.
City Attorney Sky Woodruff said the district is not mandated to report to Larkspur.
Some residents expressed shock that the city was not aware of a sewage leak in the neighborhood.
“I’m struggling as someone who clearly had toilet paper all over my driveway that I was picking up,” said resident Cindy Morgan. “I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this lack of reporting that’s required. … It’s a huge health risk to have raw sewage.”
Moore said the leak posed no added risk to public health because “flood water already contains harmful bacteria.” He emphasized that residents should always avoid contact with flood water.
The leaks were small enough that no additional testing or cleanup was required, Moore said.
Councilmember Scot Candell asked staff if they could inquire about the sewage leaks and make more information available to the public.
Mayor Stephanie Andre said after the meeting that she directed staff to contact the district to seek a report about the leaks.
“I wasn’t aware,” she said. “Going forward, I’ve directed our staff to be in communication with the Ross Valley sanitary staff.”