East Bay storms keeping Piedmont Public Works crews busy

Piedmont Public Works Department Director Daniel Gonzales says his workers are proactively maintaining creeks and inlets and keeping drains clear of debris.

PIEDMONT — Heavy rain and winds have lashed the East Bay this week, including hilly tree-lined Piedmont.

Daniel Gonzales, who directs the city’s Public Works Department, and his crew have been busy ever since severe weather descended in January and has continued off and on. He said Public Works is performing proactive maintenance on creeks and inlets to aid drainage, and crews are keeping storm drains and creeks clear of debris that impedes water flow.

“Public Works maintenance workers remained on duty the night of March 9-10 to perform creek and drainage maintenance and be available to quickly respond to reports of flooding and downed trees,” Gonzales said this week via email.

With rain comes landslides. The city experienced several landslides on private land during the recent storms. Gonzales said the city recently hired a geotechnical engineer. They are inspecting past slide areas of concern to assess stability.

“All locations in hills and near creeks present us with challenges, and each property needs to be individually evaluated. If a property has experienced flooding, land movement or significant erosion, I’d recommend contacting a civil engineer and discussing appropriate improvements,” Gonzales said.

The city has been proactive in completing drainage improvements at City Hall and Piedmont Community Hall that have been effective during recent storms.

“The basement of the recreation building continues to flood, and drainage improvements at that facility will be required,” Gonzales said.

What about toppled trees? Public Works staff can remove them or have an on-call contractor do so if needed. Residents can also prepare for any severe weather by being vigilant on their properties and obtaining sandbags from the Piedmont Corporation Yard at 898 Red Rock Road.

Parks are open in the city for the brave at heart, but the off-leash portion of Linda Park is closed. Heavy rain and wind hit the Bay Area on Tuesday, after which partly cloudy skies were forecast through Thursday, followed by more rains forecast for Friday and Saturday.

Linda Davis is a longtime Piedmont correspondent. Contact her with news tips or comments at dlinda249@gmail.com.