NFL legend Joe Montana joins 60 San Francisco neighbors in suing city after raw sewage flooded their bayside homes following New Years storm flood

NFL legend Joe Montana and his neighbors have sued San Francisco over a massive sewage flood that transported millions of gallons of “toxic feces” through their idyllic bayside homes.

The four-time Super Bowl winner is among nearly 60 residents of the city’s most expensive neighborhood who claim the city has failed to maintain its “outdated” wastewater system.

More than 18 million gallons of sewage and untreated sewage poured through the city’s streets on New Year’s Eve after the second heaviest rainfall in San Francisco history.

Much of it ran to the bay through the low-lying Marina district, where home prices average $2.6 million, turning the posh beach neighborhood into a sea of ​​grime.

“It flowed into and around the plaintiffs’ properties, penetrated the soil, walls and floors, and deposited highly contaminated and toxic fecal and other raw sewage fluids in and around the plaintiffs’ homes,” the lawsuit alleges.

Millions of gallons of raw sewage were among the floodwaters that bubbled up city streets after the New Year’s storm

Some in the city risked their health in the untreated floodwaters

“The portion of this system that runs through the marina is outdated and has been neglected and inadequately maintained by the City and County of San Francisco.

“As a result, the system routinely becomes overwhelmed, overflowing and flooding plaintiffs’ properties and neighborhoods with untreated sewage and contaminated water.”

Downtown San Francisco recorded the second-wettest day in history on New Year’s Eve, with 6 inches (17.5 cm) of rain falling on already drenched streets.

Highways 99 and 101 were closed as rescuers struggled to save the lives of people trapped in the rising waters.

A group of teenagers were plucked from the branches of trees outside Sacramento and police needed armored vehicles to rescue 13 seniors trapped in their home just east of San Francisco when power was knocked out to nearly 180,000 homes in California.

But sewage compounded the danger in the Golden City because, almost uniquely in the region, San Francisco’s storm drains are linked to the wastewater system, mixing the two with each flood.

Runoffs killed thousands of fish over the past two summers and contaminated the bay with massive algal blooms, and another 2.3 million gallons poured into the bay after the New Year’s storm.

Another 4.5 million gallons of sewage flooded Marina Boulevard October 2021 after the nearby mouth of Pierce Street was closed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

Cars were stuck on a highway 55 exit ramp in Orange County, California

For some trapped by the New Year’s flood, a boat was the only means of escape

One person was rescued from the top of a car, while four others were pulled from a submerged vehicle

Many cars were completely submerged as major highways became impassable

The lawsuit alleges that the Commission tried to protect the bay by closing the drain, but the sewage simply burst in through the manhole covers and spilled onto the street.

“When they closed the Pierce Street water outlet, they knew there would be an impact, but they didn’t compensate for it,” says Jeff Ruch of lobby group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

The regional water board has begun investigating sewage overflows in the Marina area, and the Utilities Commission has pledged to spend $9 billion over the next decade to repair the infrastructure.

The leader of the lawsuit is Khaldoun Baghdadi, former head of the city’s Human Rights Commission.

“Not only do we trust the city to maintain the sewage infrastructure, we pay it for it,” she told the San Francisco Standard.

“If the city makes the decisions that lead to homes being flooded, it’s responsible for compensating the residents.”

San Francisco football icon with wife Jennifer and son Nate

City officials blamed a storm that occurs one in 170 years

But city spokeswoman Jen Kwart said the damage to the millionaires’ homes was caused by the “almost unprecedented” nature of the storm.

“It was the strongest storm to hit San Francisco in over 170 years,” she added.

“The storm, not the city’s infrastructure, was responsible for widespread flooding throughout the city.

“We are reviewing the complaint and will respond in court.”