High groundwater dampens spirits in one Simi Valley neighborhood
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

DARLEEN PRINCIPE/Acorn Newspapers MUDDY SIGHT- Groundwater wreaks havoc on a stretch of lawn on Wallace Street in Simi Valley. The city's public works department blamed clogged drainage holes for the problem.

The gutter in front of Dawn Gomez' house on Wallace Street is flooded with stale water and is beginning to attract mosquitoes again.

When Dawn and her husband, Tom, moved into the house seven years ago, they knew about the high groundwater table in the neighborhood. But they had no idea it would be bad enough to ruin the sidewalks and promote algae growth on the parkways.

"It's been an ongoing problem, and it just keeps getting worse," Gomez said. "It doesn't even dry out in the summer."

Now, Gomez and some of her neighbors are hoping city officials will do something to help resolve the problem.

Gomez' neighbor, Heidi Zamora, has been operating a children's daycare in her home for the last 10 years, but she doesn't allow the kids to go out front because of the slippery sidewalks.

Kenny Tervalon, who also lives next door to Gomez, put in a new lawn a few years ago, but the stale water has ruined it.

According to Ron Fuchiwaki, assistant director of public works, Wallace Street and the neighborhood surrounding it are notorious for high groundwater problems.

In the last year, public works came out to the street and drilled holes in the sidewalk in the hopes of leading the groundwater to the gutter, and down into the storm drains, he said. They also have a monthly program to help maintain the street.

But Gomez said that the holes are no longer helping the problem because they're clogged.

Fuchiwaki said the short-term solution to the residents' problem is to continue a high level of maintenance to keep the areas clean of algae and growth- a plan the city's public works department is committed to keeping.

"Basically, we pressure-wash the sidewalks, curb and gutter to remove the algae and eliminate the slippage," Fuchiwaki said.

While Tom Gomez hopes the city will begin pumping the groundwater away from the area and into the Arroyo Simi, Fuchiwaki has said that regulations from the Regional Water Quality Control Board may not allow it if the water is untreated.

As of Thursday, Fuchiwaki said he's asked officials from the city's street maintenance department to follow up with the Wallace Street residents.

They plan on returning to the neighborhood next week to clean up the area and possibly drill more holes into the sidewalk for added drainage.

Other Simi residents who are experiencing similar problems may contact the city of Simi Valley's public works department directly at (805) 583-6400.