Here under the Caltrain tracks in San Jose, California, the road dips under the rails. Think “bathtub under a bridge.” Today the tub overflowed. Even the raised pedestrian paths went under. Roughly 6 feet of water. Not cute. Not shallow. Perfect soundtrack for a #draingang moment. • Undercrossings sit below everything around them. Rain runs downhill into a low bowl. Gravity fills the bowl. • A pump station keeps that bowl from becoming a pool. Water collects in a pit called a sump, then big pumps lift it up into the main storm drain so it can reach the creeks and the Bay. • If the pump station fails or the inlets clog, the bowl fills. Fast. Why a pump station can fail: • Blocked grates or trash racks: leaves, litter, branches. The sump gets “too thicc” and the flow can’t reach the pump. • Power loss or bad equipment: tripped breaker, burned motor, jammed impeller, broken control panel. • Sensor problems: stuck float or level sensor means the pump never gets the “turn on” signal. • Backwater: the downstream pipe is full because creeks are high, so the pumped water has nowhere to go. • Too much rain at once: the storm exceeds design capacity and overtops the system. How cities keep it from turning into an accidental wave pool: • Pre-storm checks 🛠️ test the pumps, verify alarms, and confirm backup power. • Clear inlets and curb lines so water can reach the sump. • Vacuum out the sump so grit doesn’t sandblast the pumps. • Inspect check valves and flap gates so water goes out and not back in. • Stage a portable bypass pump for heavy events. Simple analogy: • Your kitchen sink drains by gravity. This undercrossing is a sink with the pipe going uphill. The pump is the biceps curl that lifts water over the hump. No pump, no curl, no drain. Public safety PSA: • Never drive into floodwater. “Turn around, don’t drown.” Your car is not a submarine, and that water might hide open manholes, stalled cars, or deep potholes. • If you manage a site like this: check those inlets before big storms, and give the pump station a test run. Your future self will thank you. And yes, we brought the #draingang audio to the drain because the drain went from drip to splash. The pump ghosted us, the bowl got thirsty, and now everyone’s shoes are wet. Educational and a little spicy, just how you like it. #MrBarricade #draingang #Stormwater - @mrbarricade