ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Do you see a lot of flooding in your neighborhood whenever it rains?
Orange County officials say one of the main reasons is trash, yard waste, and other debris clogging storm drains.
“We can look and see the pipes are clean, however, we have a lot of trash debris blocking it from flowing,” Sharon McCarty, a foreman with Orange County Public Works, explained.
Crews set up a demonstration on Bonnie Brook Boulevard to show how they clear out storm drains across the county. “We’re moving the loose material that’s in the inlet,” said McCarty.
McCarty says crews can find 25 to 50 pounds of debris in nearly any drain, but Pine Hills is among the worst areas for yard waste in gutters.
“We’re in the process of cleaning every curb line in the area as we speak because of the overgrown vegetation inside the curb stopping our water from flowing,” she said.
Candie Washington, who has organized several community cleanups with the Pine Hills Community Council, says the problem goes beyond just yard clippings.
“We’ve seen car mufflers almost in the storm drain we had to pull out,” Washington said.
Crews check drains weekly across the county, especially during hurricane season. But McCarty says even then, drains can fill up quickly.
“That trash can build up in a matter of seconds and not only minutes, because when it rains, you’ve got water coming from all over. You’ve got debris coming from one street that is not on this street, but it is flowing through the drainage system and coming to this street,” she explained.
Both McCarty and Washington say residents need to do their part by not leaving yard debris or trash near stormwater inlets.
“If we are not the first partakers of caring for our community, who else will?” Washington said.
If you see trash blocking a drain, officials urge you to call the county’s 311 hotline.