A manhole is an entryway from the street into the great underground depths. While almost always unnoticed by the casual pedestrian or driver, these manholes lead to an array of treasures such as sanitary sewers, storm drains, electrical services, telephone and gas lines. Many manholes in UC Davis provide access to the campus steam network (and can be easily identified by thier steamy billows on cold mornings). Some manholes are also portals for Urban Exploration. In politically correct speech, a manhole that leads to a realm of pee and poop is referred to as a "Sanitary Sewer Maintenance hole."1 Of this type of manhole, there are 2,629 within the strict limits of Davis.2 These are not to be confused with "Storm Sewer Maintenance holes", of which there are 1,802.
Manhole identification
Manholes can usually be spotted by means of finding their manhole cover — a (usually round) region cut out of the normal sidewalk or street. The cover usually reads Sewer, Water, or Telephone. There are usually a few holes through it; these are typically circular and toward the edges, but they can be found in different shapes and locations. The manhole at Third and B (pictured at right) features 4 holes, each on the far edge of the disc
Footnotes
1. "Womanholes" was already taken, and "peopleholes" just creeped everyone out.
2. Surely, there are more like 65,000 or so.