Pinehurst Road Clean-up (Oakland Hills)
The clean-up of the Contra Costa County section of Pinehurst Road in the Oakland Hills has begun in earnest, but most of the heavy lifting must be done by East Bay MUD and East Bay Parks as public stewards of the land. The dumping is unacceptable, but what is particularly disturbing is the length of time our watersheds are allowed to be polluted. Finding copious amounts of debris 20-50 years old is not ok, and so things need to change regarding the stewardship of our public lands and watersheds. East Bay MUD has committed to dealing with this site as of early September 2024.
The common refrain as an excuse for the lack of action in the Bay Area and across the US is “no money.” The honest answer is usually a lack of willpower, accountability, and organization.
East Bay MUD, for example, has an AAA rating of 500mm in short-term investments and $25 million in interest on those short-term investments in 2023. Money is not an issue. There are also many opportunities to obtain grants through Clean California and other state/federal/other programs. There is NO excuse for allowing our watersheds to be persistent dumping grounds. One site in particular has 300-500 tires lining a creek surrounded by ferns.
East Bay MUD has been one of the better governmental entities in dealing with the issue, and there is no doubt that folks there care. Periodic clean-ups do happen and some fencing has been installed. However, the amount of resources devoted has not been sufficient to deal with this decisively, which needs to change. Resources allocated have to catch up to the desire to handle this issue.
Furthermore, revisiting cleaned areas two years later shows areas that can be kept pristine with limited expense. Projecting a single resource @ $100'/hr, a five-mile stretch of Pinehurst Rd in Contra Costa could be maintained for well under $10,000/yr plus whatever removal costs are associated with ditched cars. Adding fencing to problematic pull-outs to prevent dumping down slopes would further reduce this recurring expense.
Areas in green cleaned by volunteers. Includes Canyon Road and Pinehurst Road to 1/2 mile south of Canyon Road. Approx 15,000 lbs.
Orange areas represent dumping needing to be cleaned up.
Massive tire dump site
Location of huge tire dump site on Pinehurst Road. This area is contiguous with East Bay Park land and should have a big focus on stewardship given it is a watershed for Upper San Leandro Reservoir and is in a high fire risk area.
While we want to do our part as citizens to assist, as dumping is a societal problem, we need our public stewards to be more engaged on this issue. Working toward that engagement will be a big part of efforts in the future.
Prevention and enforcement are a must and Contra Costa County must do more to identify and prevent illegal dumping in unincorporated areas.
Volunteer contributions to this area have included multiple cleanings over the last couple of years along Canyon Road and Pinehurst Rd from Canyon Road to past the Huckleberry Preserve entrance and further up the hill.
Southern portion of Pinehurst Road in Contra Costa County. Cleaned up in 2022/2023 by volunteers and EBMUD with Contra Costa and EBMUD signage and some EBMUD fencing installed.
