Northern Police Station Is All Wet

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Things are still drying out at Northern Police Station in the Western Addition, which was flooded with four inches of water in Monday's deluge. Why all the flooding? Turns out the station doesn't have a lousy check valve -- an item likely smaller than a stereo.

The station really needs this valve. Oftentimes when there's heavy, fast rain, water flows down the Turk Street hill to where the station sits at Turk and Fillmore, and will course up through the building's drain system.

"If we were going to make a lake, we would be at the bottom of the lake," says Station Captain Croce Alexander Casciato.

The office keeps sandbags on hand to block the lobby from water that would flow in the front door via the storm drain that often backs up outside. But the threat wasn't external on Monday afternoon. Water started shooting out of the station's shower drains with such force it created a impromptu six-inch fountain. The water had nowhere to flow but into the offices.

Come Thursday, the water had receded, but the office still had fans roaring to dry the place out and prevent mildew.

"My office is the worst because I had carpet," says Casciato. "It's gonna get moldy pretty soon. It overcomes you the odor is so bad."

So why hasn't the station installed the check valve that would stop the flow of water into the station and solve all of these problems? "It costs money, lots of money," Casciato said. Not just the valve itself, but the fact they'd have to dig up the drainage pipes in the station to install it.

Whether that would be a bigger cost than the lost hours and productivity drain of officers wading to their desks is another thing. Even after this week's flood, though, there are no plans to install the valve. "I don't think so. I think they're just going to clean up."