Orinda Sinkhole Raises Issues With Nearly Year-Old Moraga Crater
ORINDA (CBS SF) -- With more rain coming down Wednesday, there is a renewed rush to shore up two sizable sinkholes in the East Bay, including one that is nearly a year old.
The sinkhole that opened up last week on Miner Road in Orinda is 22-feet deep and has crews working around the clock on repairs.
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They worked through the storm to stabilize a 16-inch water main, trying to make sure the sinkhole doesn't go from bad to worse.
"We will have pumps, we will have manpower," said Orinda Public Works inspector Tod Fierner. "We will see how bad it's gets"
A few miles away, the nearly year-old sinkhole in Moraga is covered in tarp. Despite the town being a wealthy community, officials have not had the money to spend on the fix.
"Unfortunately we do not have restricted funding specifically for storm drains," said Edric Kwan, the Director of Public Works for Moraga.
Kwan says the town is waiting for the federal government to approve funding for the project. They have made temporary repairs, but hope to start a permanent fix in June.
"We worked diligently with my team to get all the plans prepared to go out to bid, and now we have to wait," said Kwan.
But he says this isn't the only problem spot in Moraga. The town has identified $25 million worth of repairs. Kwan says property taxes have been kept low, but he is hoping residents eventually approve an initiative to raise taxes to pay for infrastructure improvements.
"The mantra really is to pay now or to pay much more later," explained Kwan.
The sink holes for public works departments stand as a sign of the times: old infrastructure crumbling right below our feet.
"If you told me, 'Do you want to buy this to last 50 years?' I would say, 'Yeah, 50 years,'" said Fierner. "Well, we are at 50 years. So it is just mother nature taking it's toll."
About 3,000 people are affected by the Miner Road sinkhole. Official say they hope to have it fixed within a month.
