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Residents report oil dumping in Smith Canal; council hears public pleas for action
Summary
Public commenters told council they observed recent illegal oil dumping into Smith Canal and urged the city to consider gates, cameras, and other measures to protect waterways; council members said they would seek follow-up with flood-control partners.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the Oct. 1 Stockton City Council meeting to urge immediate attention to pollution and blight.
Andrew Verdusco (District 4) described an illegal oil discharge into Smith Canal over the weekend and warned that the contamination could cause major environmental harm and a large fish kill when storms arrive. "This could go into the millions of dollars for the pollution that happened there," Verdusco said, and asked the city to look into gates, cameras or other protections.
William Maxwell, a longtime Stockton resident and business owner, said he waters his yard from the canal and predicted that street runoff after the next storm could spread oil and kill thousands of fish. Maxwell also urged the city to use vacant properties for housing instead of the new City Hall spending.
In council comments later in the meeting, Vice Mayor Walmsley said she would take the issue to the flood-control agency and work with colleagues to explore protections and interagency responses. Council members also discussed enforcement and improved street cleaning and camera use for illegal-dumping detection.
