The City of Oakland is working to reduce pollution in rainwater that flows out to creeks, lakes, and the Bay to improve water quality and the environment and to comply with the City’s Stormwater Permit, which is issued by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board). This permit requires the City to reduce the amount of trash that enters Oakland’s waterways by preventing and cleaning up litter and illegal dumping and by installing full trash capture devices in the storm drain system all around the City to catch trash before it pollutes the water. Compliance with the permit’s trash load reduction requirements must be achieved by June 30, 2025.
To comply with the trash reduction regulations the City is planning to construct the Mandela Parkway Full Trash Capture Project, which will install a large device under Mandela Parkway. This project is fully funded by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and will provide critically needed compliance credit by intercepting trash in the storm drain system covering 610 acres of land in West Oakland. The trash capture unit will be installed approximately 25’ below ground in an excavated area 120 feet long by 40 feet wide. Because of the complexity of this project that must modify an underground 8-foot storm drainage pipe, the northbound section of Mandela Parkway between 24th and 26th Streets will be closed during construction for seven months from April to October 2024. Traffic will be detoured during construction and businesses in the construction zone will have alternate access during construction with minimum impact to business operations. The Project Manager will conduct early outreach on the road closure and traffic detour to businesses and the nearby community.
