Oakland Coliseum has been pumping groundwater into the bay for years without a permit

"OAKLAND For decades, the Oakland Coliseum has quietly discharged thousands of gallons of water into a slough that flows to San Leandro Bay without a permit, even though stadium officials said this week they probably needed one all along. Now, with the land about to be privately sold, they are prepared to obtain one. The whole process could cost taxpayers $659,000, between money spent on consultants, studies and a permitting process overseen by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board."

"In the backdrop, a group of developers the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, doing business as the Oakland Acquisition Company is in the midst of due diligence for a $250 million purchase of the 112-acre property, including the stadium, arena and parking lots surrounding them. It is another wrinkle in the long-sought redevelopment of the Coliseum, a valuable East Bay asset that has faced blight and decay in the years since the stadium was first constructed in the 1960s."

Thousands of gallons of groundwater have been pumped from the sunken Oakland Coliseum grounds and discharged into Damon Slough without a regulatory permit. Coliseum officials now plan to obtain a permit, a process estimated to cost taxpayers $659,000 for consultants, studies and regulatory oversight by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. The Coliseum Authority, run by the city and Alameda County, will cover the costs and may use budget reserves. A developer group is conducting due diligence on a $250 million purchase of the 112-acre site, complicating redevelopment plans.

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