Four Sewage Spills on Saturday: Creek Testing Underway in Fairfax, San Anselmo

Ross Valley Sanitary District officials are testing creek waters in San Anselmo and Fairfax after four sewage spills occurred over the weekend.

Rainy weather overwhelmed district pipes while sewage spills occurred on Saturday, Nov. 17 in the towns of San Anselmo, Fairfax and Larkspur, district officials reported on Monday. 

The largest spill was at 9 Willow Way in San Anselmo, where an estimated 3,000 gallons went into Sleepy Hollow Creek. A brick lodged in a syphon under Sleepy Hollow Creek caused the spill, according to RVSD officials. Water testing is underway in the creek, which was also at the end of October.

Another spill in San Anselmo, at 14 Willow Way, released an estimated 5 gallons into Sleepy Hollow Creek and was also caused by the lodged brick. 

A 730-gallon spill in Fairfax, at 20 Steven Court, went into a storm drain that goes into Fairfax Creek. Water sampling is underway in the creek and clean up in the area is complete, according to RVSD officials. The blockage was caused by roots that entered the sewage system, according to district officials.

Roots were also the culprit of a 20 gallon spill at 150 Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur. The overflow didn’t enter any nearby water, officials said.

Ross Valley Sanitary District officials have said the district’s infrastructure is falling apart faster than officials can fix it and will be costly to repair.

There was .

Rainy weather can result in infiltration, where water seeps into cracked pipes and often overloads the system.

A National Weather Service spokesperson told Patch that Kentfield saw a total of 2.9 inches of rain on Friday through Sunday, with the peak — 2 inches — falling on Saturday.

Check back for updates. 

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