Seventy-Plus Years of Neglect
Neglect! Seventy-plus years of neglect. The Alameda County Public Works Agency has failed in its mission to promote a healthy and sustainable environment that supports safe and livable communities. San Lorenzo Creek, usually a tiny, quiet little stream, during the atmospheric river event of December 31, 2022, became a raging river, 75 yards wide and over 50 feet deep in many places. This event wreaked havoc on Creekside residents, tearing away fences and taking away precious soil, supporting many existing homes. This event also took away parts of “A” Street.
Within months, ACPWA fixed “A” street, a central public thoroughfare. The same isn’t true for the rest of the creek: concrete debris and dead and damaged trees remain, and the steep, eroded banks now threaten homes. The next major atmospheric river that stalls over the East Bay hills will wash away homes and potentially threaten lives—people with families. With climate change, this disaster is inevitable; it’s just a question of when.
After a year of many requests for help, no assistance has been provided for the homeowner affected by the looming disaster of losing their homes. The agency director doesn’t care and says nothing can be done on personal property. What happens upstream affects everything downstream. There are knock-off effects beyond the scope of any individual homeowner to solve.
Don Castro Reservoir silted up, and no longer has any water control function. Years of housing developments in the above hills have added concrete to once-absorption soils, causing more water to flow down all the East Bay Creeks. This is a direct cause for the San Lorenzo Creek to deepen and the banks to cave in and wash away.
The Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (ACFCD) has failed for decades to help protect residents and property from flooding by planning, designing, constructing, and maintaining flood control facilities such as natural creeks and channels.
Yet, ACPWA and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors plan to implement a new property tax for deferred projects. The Creekside residents could be their best advocates for this new tax. With their disdain and lack of concern, we cannot support this effort. Nor do we recommend voting for any current Alameda Board Supervisors when they come up for reelection. A county government that doesn’t listen to the concerns of its citizens is inferior and inadequate!
–The Creekside Residents of San Lorenzo Creek
