Stormwater comes from rain. Insufficient or blocked-up stormwater drains can result in local flooding. Stormwater also picks up street pollution and carries it to local waterways and the San Francisco Bay.
Wastewater includes anything that drains from sinks, washers, and toilets in homes and businesses. Wastewater must be captured and treated in a wastewater treatment plant.
Stormwater and wastewater are managed in two separate systems:
- Oakland’s stormwater flows through pipes and culverts into creeks, then out to the San Francisco Bay.
- Oakland’s wastewater flows to a wastewater treatment plant operated by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). After treatment, wastewater flows out to the San Francisco Bay.