Bay Area drainage contractors booked as homeowners prepare for rainy winter

By CBS Bay Area

With preparations for a possible “super” El Niño this year, Bay Area drainage contractors are also working around the clock to ensure homes are ready for the winter season. 

“The pavers and driveway weren’t graded correctly, so she would have water pooling in the middle of the pavers,” Daniel Stamos, project manager with Bay Drainage, told CBS News Bay Area. “We’re going to install catch basins, basically surface drains, that are going to be flushed with the surface of the pavers.”

Stamos and his team have been working on a house in Castro Valley for about a week, digging out trenches before laying out new drainage pipes. 

“When El Niño comes, and the heavier rain comes during the winter, the drainage issues that may be present year-round, they just get worse,” he said. 

 Because of potential record rainfall and coastal flooding, he said they’ve been busy the past few months. 

“It’s definitely a huge spike in demand, you know, in the month of July, we maybe had 20, 25 calls. August came around, it was 50. September was over 60; October, we’re 60 and counting,” he said. 

Stamos added that they’re booked for the rest of the year but are taking client calls. 

“There’s always a lot of new homeowners in the Bay Area. There’s a lot of turnover in the market, so, we get a lot of calls from people who have never been through a real winter before,” he said. “Check your roof gutters, make sure that they’re clear. If you have existing buried down spouts and catch basins, make sure that they’re clear.”

Carrie Ricci, the public works deputy director of Contra Costa County, said their crews, too, have been working around the clock.

“Contra Costa County is taking proactive steps to reduce flood risks. We are strengthening our critical infrastructure, and we want to help residents prepare before the storms get here. So, our county crews have been working to clean storm drains, basins, roadside ditches, channels to ensure stormwater can move efficiently during those events,” she told CBS News Bay Area. 

“Approximately 1,200 miles of creeks within Contra Costa County and a small portion of that is county-maintained. So, I’m not surprised to hear that residents are starting to prepare themselves and look for contractors,” Ricci said. “We encourage residents to start now by cleaning their gutters, removing debris from drains. If they have private drainage facilities, to inspect them now and address any concerns.”

And for Stamos and his team, they are working longer hours and taking more calls. 

“The storms do seem like they’re getting more intense over the years,” he said. 

Stamos said they will ensure that as many Bay Area homes are protected from what nature will bring this year.