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Sewage Spill Occurs near Wildwood Regional Park, Thousand Oaks

March 18, 2025

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The City of Thousand Oaks is responding to a sewage spill that occurred on Saturday, March 15, 2025, affecting a portion of Wildwood Regional Park and the North Fork Arroyo Conejo Creek.

city of thousand oaks logo with public works division underneath

THOUSAND OAKS, CA – March 18, 2025 – The City of Thousand Oaks is responding to a sewage spill that occurred on Saturday, March 15, 2025, affecting a portion of Wildwood Regional Park and the North Fork Arroyo Conejo Creek.


The spill originated at a maintenance hole locatedin an easement on a hiking trail to the west of 726 Flaming Star Avenue at approximately 11:15 A.M. The incident was caused by a heavy accumulation of debris that clogged the 18-inch sewer main where it reduces to a 12-inch sewer main within a maintenance hole. This blockage resulted in sewage exiting the maintenance hole structure and flowing down a hiking trail within Wildwood Regional Park before entering the North Fork Arroyo Conejo Creek.


City staff responded immediately upon notification and investigated the affected maintenance holes. Initial attempts to clear the blockage using hydro equipment were unsuccessful. A contractor was called in to bypass the affected maintenance hole, allowing flow to continue downstream through the sewer system. Field observation estimated the overflow rate at approximately 500 gallons per minute. Containment of the overflow was complete by 8:30 P.M. on the same day, with a total of approximately 250,000 gallons of sewage spilled.


In response to the spill, City staff and COSCA Park Rangers took the following actions:

  1. Posted 15 warning signs throughout the Wildwood Regional Park hiking trails to inform the public in the area.
  2. Closed Wildwood Regional Park to the public for 72 hours, effective Saturday, March 15, 2025. 
  3. Cleaned up visible debris from the spill along the affected hiking trail.
  4. Investigated the creek directly downstream of the spill and began water quality sampling. 


The City of Thousand Oaks is committed to protecting public health and the environment. This spill does not impact the safety of drinking water. The public should heed any posted signage in the spill area, and the area should be fully reopened by March 19, 2025.


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