Annual Report 2003
Public Facilities
Safer, Improved Roadways On
the Way |
Put Grease in the Trash,
Not the Drain
Strive for a Pollutant Free Bay
The needs of the community
drive upgrades to City buildings, roadways and
utilities as well as development of City-owned or leased land.
Safer, Improved Roadways On the Way
We are taking care of some much-needed road repairs
and making safety upgrades as construction gets underway on
a series of projects this fall.
Del Monte Avenue between Sloat and Palo Verde avenues will be rebuilt
and the lighting improved.
A new right turn lane will be put in on David Avenue between Foam
Street and Lighthouse Avenue, and the traffic lights at both intersections
will be adjusted.
Many streets around the City will receive slurry seals (asphalt) or
cape seals (asphalt, rock chips and a seal coat).
Also, plans for changes at the Highway 68 and Ragsdale Drive intersection
are almost complete. Improvements include a new traffic light to provide
safer left turns from the highway onto Ragsdale Drive and a second
northbound lane from Ragsdale Drive to Hwy. 218.
We will also be reconstructing Fremont Avenue between Camino El
Estero and Abrego; Munras Avenue from Webster Street to 300 feet
south of Fremont; and Calle Principal from Jefferson Street to
Del Monte Avenue.
We appreciate your patience during construction. For updates, visit
www.monterey.org
Put Grease in the Trash,
Not the Drain
About 60% of all sewer blockages are caused by grease that is built up in
the sewer system.
Oil and grease solidify as soon as they hit cold water in sewage pipes and
can lead to blockage. These blockages can cause raw sewage to spill into
Monterey Bay. Even mixing grease with warm soapy water does NOT
prevent clogs. To help avoid sewage spills:
-
DON’T put any type of grease or
oil, whether it’s frying oil, salad oil, cooking grease or motor oil, into
the sewage system by dumping it down the sink, in a toilet or into a storm
drain.
-
DON’T use the garbage disposal
to grind fat trimmings – wrap them up and put them into the trash.
-
DO put excess cooking oil or
grease into a container,
with a lid, and throw it into the trash.
-
DO wipe out greasy pots and pans
with a paper towel before washing them.
Strive for a Pollutant Free Bay
Keeping the City’s stormwater system clean and maintained helps preserve the
health of our community and Monterey Bay. Here’s some of what’s happening
this year.
Working Together
To develop area standards for water-quality programs designed to meet new
state and federal regulations,
the City has joined with eight other local agencies to form the “Monterey
Regional Storm Water Permit Participants’ Group.” The group is finalizing a
Storm Water Management Plan, which outlines what we plan to do over the next
five years to prevent pollution in our waterways – the Bay, rivers and the
ocean.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires the City to
address stormwater issues by working on six different areas: public
education, public involvement, construction site pollution prevention, new
development and redevelopment site requirements, illegal connection
detection and elimination and good housekeeping practices for
municipal operations.
The permit group meetings are open to the public and are held monthly on the
fourth Wednesday from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
at the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency offices at 5 Harris
Court, Building D, in Ryan Ranch.
Stay tuned to the City’s Web site for stormwater program info and details on
agency meetings.
Mapping Project
In an effort to detect and get rid of illegal connections to the City
stormwater system, we are creating a storm drain map and video inspection
system. Illegal cross-connections to the storm drain system are connections
that should drain into the sanitary sewer, not the Bay. For instance, any
drain that is inside
a building or covered area that does not receive any
stormwater runoff from outside must go into the sanitary sewer, not into the
storm drain.
To find illegal connections and other problems, City crews run a video
camera on tracks down the storm drain line and record the inspection. We
document structural defects in the pipe, debris and evidence of illegal
dumping. The camera has captured an array of animals calling the pipes home
– several large crawdads, raccoons (like in the photo above) and spiders.
By tracking the condition of our system and the location of any illegal
connections, we can find and fix problems.
What can you do?
Fill out the survey inside this newsletter to tell us what you know about
storm drains and illegal dumping. Call or email if you see illegal activity,
such as oil being dumped down a storm drain or pollution running into the
street. Learn about grease and drains by reading the adjoining article.
For more info, call the City’s Public Works Department at 646.3920
(jgonzale@ci.monterey.ca.us).
If you find hazardous material, call 911. Return to top |
