The sources of direct discharges to the creek need to be further investigated. Evaluation of building discharges into the cross-campus culvert should be a priority. All wastewaters should be routed into the sanitary sewer system. Updating and verification of the DOFM storm sewer maps needs to be done as soon as possible to better delineate the creek drainage system and detect sources of contamination. Existing problems with the sanitary sewer system should be corrected as soon as possible.
Periodic comprehensive evaluation of the campus sanitary sewer system should be done at least once every ten years. This would consist of dye testing performed from both inside the campus 'buildings and from the sanitary sewer manholes. Bacteriological sampling could also be conducted to evaluate suspected areas of sewage leakage. Televising of selected sections of sewer line could then be done to pinpoint the sources and extent of the problem.
Blow-down from building cooling towers or other sources should be routed to the sanitary sewer system. The thermal discharge from the heating plant should also be routed to the sanitary system. Cooling towers and appropriate backup systems should be installed in buildings where cooling water is needed. Straight EBMUD water should not be used for cooling purposes for conservation reasons.
The design and construction process for major campus projects should be revised to incorporate more internal review from DOFM engineers. The present process has the design, construction, and supervision of major projects being done solely by outside contractors with insufficient opportunity for internal review by DOFM personnel. The result is short-sighted, incremental, and often inferior design and construction. This approach leads to premature deterioration and problematic design of the entire campus infrastructure. Consequently this results in degraded water quality of Strawberry Creek from both point and non-point sources of pollution.