Under normal conditions, flush your toilet and the bowl contents travel through a series of underground pipes to a water treatment facility for sanitizing. Same with dirty dishwater.
But enter recent robust rainfalls and some unusual things are happening with sewage, including in Berkeley.
A maintenance hole at Page and Second streets in West Berkeley was one of three in the vicinity to overflow on New Year’s Eve during the heaviest rain of the season, according to the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD).
West Berkeley maintenance hole overflowed with sewage on New Year’s EveSource: Berkeleyside