Warren water pollution control director says blow grass and leaves into yard, not storm sewers
Staff report
WARREN
Ed Haller, director of the Warren Water Pollution and Control Department, said streets flooded in many areas of the city last week because of heavy rains, but added residents can reduce the severity of the problem by helping to keep storm drains clean.
Haller said Warren has 5,500 catch basins, also known as storm drains, and crews from his department worked late Thursday and today cleaning out many of them.
Haller said people experiencing flooding in the street or on their property can sometimes reduce the severity by cleaning out the leaves, grass or other debris from the storm drain themselves.
“Though it’s the city’s responsibility, a resident can do themselves a great service by doing it themselves,” Haller said.
He added that cleaning out the debris from a drain can reduce the amount of damage flooding can cause at a person’s home, especially if the drain is in the yard.
He also recommends people consider the potential their leaves and grass cuttings will clog drains if they allow such debris to go into the street.
He recommends people cutting grass point the mower away from the road the first few passes to avoid the grass going into the street.
The city is in the midst of a $1.6 million study that will be completed around the end of this year to identify the most important storm-sewer improvements needed, Haller noted.