ACHD's Road Wizard Sunday, January 5, 2020

Thank you, dear reader. Yes, it is very important for everyone to help keep storm drains clear of leaves and other debris. Here is a Road Wizard response from November 1, 2019:

"The sweepers at ACHD do sweep up some leaves but are not meant to collect all of them. Property owners are responsible to help with this matter so that sweepers are not overloaded. It is also especially important that leaves not be blown into the streets because they will easily clog the storm drains. Clogged storm drains will result in flooding and potential property damage. Flooding can also cause additional wear and tear on roads. Newer roads that have recently been sealed are less likely to be affected by flooding, which is good, although newer roads are usually associated with areas that have smaller trees, thus less leaves. Older roads however are much more effected by flooding because water then settles into the cracks at the base and cause erosion. These older roads are in places like the North End, where they have very large trees with a lot of leaves. So, the property owner collecting these leaves is doing the entire neighborhood a great service."

Leaf collection programs and sites are available during the peak of the fall season and should be utilized by residents. ACHD also produced an informative video about leaves and storm drains and additional information about the importance of keeping storm drains clear can be found on the ACHD website.