The City of Oakland enjoys some of the best weather in the country, but when it does rain, the local geology presents some daunting obstacles to stormwater control. One-third of the service area consists of steep hills with 100-year-old open drainage channels not amenable to subterranean piping. And the other two-thirds comprise the sixth most densely urbanized region in the country.Though not directly responsible for system maintenance and construction, the city’s Watershed and Stormwater Management Divi-sion (WSMD) is tasked with the planning and funding that makes the job possible. As supervisor Lesley Estes explains, “With the City of Oakland’s recent
