BROOKINGS As autumn draws nearer with each passing day, raking leaves will be a thing but the city is really hoping residents dont let those leaves and other lawn clippings wind up in storm drains and outlets.
As part of its Only Rain Down the Drain campaign, the city is raising awareness about how the issue can cause problems and increase costs for taxpayers. After all, storm drains were not designed to remove debris and pollutants theyre meant to drain water and prevent flooding.
If the storm drains get plugged up during some of our heavier rains which were having more and more intense rains lately and the storm drains plug up, well then that starts localized flooding in the residential areas and blocking the roadways, Public Works Director John Thompson said. Once that happens, we call out staff to go clear those drains immediately thats a cost there.
Furthermore, what goes down those storm drains isnt filtered or treated, so letting people know what not to do can only help.
Our effort is primarily to educate the public and the residents as to where the water goes when it goes down the storm drain, he said. Its not treated. It just goes down it ultimately flows out into our waterways: the streams, ponds and lakes, rivers.
Thompson said that, ultimately, the water drains south, and that Six-Mile Creek is one of the waterways it flows into. From there, it goes into the Big Sioux River and so on down the line.
In the process of doing so, the debris decays and turns into a smelly, harmful pollutant in the waterways, according to information from the city.
He pointed out that the city takes a proactive stance, including having staff on call for every rain event. As calls come in for areas that have been flooded because of debris-clogged storm drains, those staffers are sent to clear out the inlets. Still, some areas of the city are more affected than others.
The older part of town definitely has the older storm sewer in it, and it has the majority of the problems, Thompson said.
He noted that the weather is also monitored at all times.
We will send people out if we have a very heavy band coming in just to monitor the roadways and make sure that we do have clear roadways for safety, Thompson said.
So, what can residents do to help keep the storm water system in optimal operating condition? The city provided several tips, including:
- Fertilizing your lawn naturally by mulching leaves with a lawn mower.
- Starting a compost pile to use in your garden or bringing yard waste to the Citizens Campus at Brookings Regional Landfill.
- Use the citys yard-waste collection bins to dispose of leaves, grass clippings, stalks, vines, weeds and twigs.
- If you see a clogged storm drain or street gutter, be a good neighbor and clear them out.
“Our efforts with the Only Rain Down the Drain is primarily just education and what residents can do with their lawn clippings versus blowing them out into the street and letting them go down into the storm drainage, Thompson said.
The biggest thing wed like the readers to understand is that theres no magical treatment for it once it goes down the storm drain, Thompson said. It goes directly out into the waterways. Any debris or pollutants that are in the storm water, they dont get treated.
Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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