What is the County's responsibility in maintaining private drainage systems?

Contra Costa County has 31 major watersheds and sub-watersheds containing more than 1,300 miles of creeks and drainages. Of that total, the County maintains approximately 75 miles of improved creeks and drainages. The rest is the responsibility of private property owners.

The County maintains only those drainage facilities required as a condition of development constructed to standards applicable at the time of construction and located in an easement or other land right accepted by the County. Creek maintenance is the responsibility of the owner whose property abuts a creek.

When the creek area is not properly maintained, the resulting obstructions can lead to increased flooding, changes in the course of the creek, and increased erosion on the obstructed property and/or downstream properties. See Division 1010 of the Title 10 County Ordinance Code for more information on. The Public Works Department recommends the following guidelines on private creek maintenance (PDF).

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1. What are Area of Benefit (AOB) funds used for?
2. What are Best Management Practices (BMPs)?
3. What are Pollutants of Concern (POCs)?
4. What are the Public Works Counter hours of service, phone numbers, and location?
5. What can property owners do to help the County's maintenance efforts of private trees and other vegetation?
6. What can property owners do to prevent fallen leaves from creating blockages in the drainage system?
7. What do I do if my neighbor informed me that I am encroaching on his property?
8. What information should I provide when reporting a streetlight outage?
9. What is a cape seal?
10. What is a micro-surface seal?
11. What is a slurry seal?
12. What is a traffic Area of Benefit (AOB)?
13. What is a Watershed?
14. What is an illicit discharge and who do I call to report it?
15. What is an NOI and what permits does it cover?
16. What is C.3?
17. What is IPM and what are some ways I can try it?
18. What is NPDES and who oversees it?
19. What is the Adopt-A-Road Program?
20. What is the construction work occurring on a County Road or Flood Control Facility?
21. What is the CRIPP?
22. What is the design storm for my project?
23. What is the difference between a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and a Stormwater Control Plan (SWCP)?
24. What is the difference between point source and non-point source?
25. What is the difference between the County Watershed Program and the Contra Costa Clean Water Program?
26. What is the difference between the storm drain system and the sanitary sewer?
27. What is the Public Works Budget?
28. What projects are upcoming or currently advertised?
29. What should I do if I see someone dumping garbage on private or public property?
30. What is a Chip Seal?
31. What is the basis of the Area of Benefit (AOB) Program?
32. What is the County's responsibility in maintaining private drainage systems?
33. What is the drainage easement across my property? Can I build on it? What can I do on it?