By @Kristin Withrow, CSDA Communications Specialist
Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (Central San) provides sewer services to nearly half a million residents and over 15,000 businesses in the east San Francisco Bay Area. Every day, they collect and clean more than 35 million gallons of wastewater. Much of the collection process occurs underground, making it invisible to the community. Now, Central San has created a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly way for the public to learn where the water flows.
For 21 miles, the Iron Horse Regional Trail follows one of Central San's sewer lines from San Ramon all the way to their treatment plant in Martinez. For their "Go With the Flow" project, Central San developed an interactive story map and self-guided tour to help people discover the wastewater infrastructure along the trail and learn more about what's happening underground. The multimedia map features photos, a history of the Iron Horse Trail, and even audio clips of the sound of water flowing through the pipe.
The idea for the story map first arose during the pandemic, when Central San's traditional treatment plant tours and community events had to be put on hold. "We wanted to provide our customers with an outdoor, socially distanced way to connect with our system from wherever they were," explains Community Affairs Representative Ben Lavender, the project manager. "Go With the Flow lets people discover where their wastewater goes and learn more about the essential service Central San provides."
Using ArcGIS mapping technology, the story map includes points of interest, rest areas, and access points along the trail. Central San's maintenance access covers (or "manholes") serve as landmarks along the route, helping people visualize the sewer line under their feet. By following the map, Central San's customers can walk, bike, or run along the path of wastewater—tracing its journey from their home, school, or workplace all the way to the treatment plant.
In addition to the story map, Central San has launched free, guided bicycle tours that explore different sections of the Iron Horse Trail. These family-friendly tours offer participants a fun and educational way to discover the wastewater system within their own backyards. Although Central San markets the popular events as bike tours, they are in fact collection system tours. "The work of wastewater collection and cleaning is largely out-of-sight, out-of-mind," explains Ben. "These tours allow people to understand the scale of our operations, see the impressive trucks and machinery we use to inspect and clean our pipes, and meet the people who do this job day in and day out."
Beyond enhancing public engagement in Central San’s service area, "Go With the Flow" has inspired similar projects by other special districts. This spring, the project was honored as "Community Engagement and Outreach Project of the Year" by the California Water Environment Association.
Learn more and explore the map at: centralsan.org/go-with-the-flow
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