From: cazuma@ci.fremont.ca.us
Subject: Sewer manhole at 6120 Oakdale
Date: December 20, 2005 9:06:52 AM PST
To: rkanz@earthlink.net
Cc: chiye@cazuma.com, nannystu@pacbell.net

Ralph,

Yes Ralph, that is a sanitary sewer manhole, same one that regularly
regurgitates bloated condoms around its perimeter. I don't know how
long this has been happening but we found out about this one from the
guy who used to live here (he's left sometime this summer and put the
house up for sale). He was thoroughly disgusted, but didn't have the
will or resources to fight. The City has been made aware of this
problem as soon as we found out - which would be for the past year and
half, at least. I think they (Sewer Maintenance) have known about this
for a long time, but they are not the department that sets priorities in
capital improvement projects.

I have traced the sewer maps and I don't think that it is just our line
by the creek that's causing this overflow. This manhole rim elevation
is about 15 feet lower than the next manhole down the line, which is in
the middle of the street at Lundholm. This manhole is a major junction
as it is where all the sewage collected from Ridgemont and Leona Heights
wind up IN ADDITION TO our sewage coming down on the creek side. There
is so much pressure coming down the hillside from Leona Heights that the
sewage just comes out from the lowest available manhole. If they bolted
down this manhole, I have no doubt that the homes on Lundholm/Oakdale
will have sewage shooting out of their toilets and bathtubs. (Which is
why I am saying that the City is using this manhole as a necessary
"relief valve," kinda like the thingy that dances on top of your
pressure cooker) The City keeps telling us that they are working on
improvements around the City but this problem here has never received
any sort of priority. They have been very blase about this, partly
because there has been no political will or pressure to do anything
about it.
….

Chiye