Actually, no. There was a time in Campus history when Strawberry Creek was used as an open sewer to transport sanitary wastes away from the University to San Francisco Bay. However, in the 1950’s, East Bay Municipal Utility District built the main sewage treatment plant in West Oakland and helped cities install sewer systems that diverted the wastewater away from creeks and the Bay and to the treatment plant.
Since then, the major sources of pollution in Strawberry Creek are contaminated storm runoff from the streets (caused mostly by leaking motor vehicles, homeowner applied fertilizer and pesticides, and construction site sediment), broken water mains that send chloraminated (added to make water safe to drink) water down the storm drains and into the Creek, and, relatively small leaks from cracked sewer pipes and mains. Those sources, plus fecal wastes from pets and wild animals, do have an impact on current water quality but not nearly to the extent of the pollution levels in the early and mid 1900’s. Current water quality tests show the water in Strawberry Creek usually meets water quality standards intended for non-contact recreational use (for instance sitting on the lawn next to the creek and watching the water striders ply their trade) and, at times, even meets criteria for contact recreational use like wading and swimming.
If you have been playing in the Creek we recommend you wash your hands thoroughly before eating or preparing food (that goes for ANY natural water body actually); otherwise, the water in the Creek is usually quite safe to touch. IF however, you see warning signs posted along the Creek, that means there has been a release of some kind of pollutant and you should stay out as long as the signs are up.
So, while we don’t recommend drinking the water flowing in Strawberry Creek, your dog could, and it probably wouldn't hurt them.