Diary of a Sewer Repair
Originally published in two parts in the San Diego Reader, this book-length article explores the effects on one neighborhood of a regional event and a national problem—the widespread neglect of sewer infrastructure and the Environmental Protection Agency's 1988 suit against the city of San Diego. In chronicling the replacement of the neighborhood's decaying sewer system and the interaction of the personalities of sewer crew and members of the neighborhood, the story becomes a celebration of both work and place.
"Diary of a Sewer Repair" received a Best of Show and a First Place Award for feature writing from the San Diego Press Club in its 1998 annual journalism competition.