In Los Osos, near the corner of Doris Ave. and Lupine St., cleanup is complete after a weekend sewage spill caused concerns for some neighbors in the area.
The culprit behind Friday's spill was determined to be a corroded airvac valve.
“It lets sewer gas out of the sewer line and it lets fresh air in, in between pump cycles," said Sean Loveridge, Chief Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator. "And these have parts on them and they have metal parts that will corrode over time.”
That’s what caused 15,000 gallons of sewage to spill out. Loveridge said that is an estimated number, based on the visual water flow out of the manhole.
Residents who live nearby shared what they saw.
“When we looked out, Doris had flooded. It had become a lake," said Toni Mayes. "So, we assumed it was coming from that sewer cap."
“We saw some guys with shovels kind of digging out the little canal that goes out into the bay, didn’t really know what was going on, and at about 11:30 they finally finished,” said Daniel Mull.
Loveridge added that none of the sewage made it to the water’s edge, from what they could tell. He said the cleanup wasn’t fully complete until Monday to let the area be quarantined and dry out.
“We saw the clean-up crew come out with a grass rake and a flat shovel and clean up the pieces of toilet paper that were along the bay and there’s still stuff there,” Mull said on Tuesday.
Loveridge said that the air vacs are routinely maintained but this one was due for a replacement.
Mayes said she was concerned for the environment at the inlet.
“At sunrise, you look out, all the birds at the low tides they eat around the edges there and I was like they are right around the edges of where all of that had just dumped hours before and they were eating away,” Mayes said.
Loveridge said that once they stopped the flow, they completed their spill report and sent that off to the state.
“If you suspect a sewage spill in your area or if you see water flowing out of a manhole, you can call (805) 528-3030 any time of the day,” Loveridge said.
