Public works crews prepping in case of local flooding - WBRC

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – It’s been a rainy Labor Day and with grounds still saturated from the stormy weekend, you’ve probably noticed some flooding on the streets.

But, in between pops of rain is when Birmingham Public Works Crews hit the streets to clean out backed up inlets. They’re doing this to try to prevent local flooding, but with so much rain, there’s only so much they can do.

Director of Public Works Josh Yates said they check inlets on a weekly basis and they go through routine maintenance. He said they find a lot of garbage and debris inside the inlets, which can cause big back up when it rains.

Right now, he also has crews specifically checking inlets in the city’s hot spot areas that are known to flood to make sure they are clear. Yates said they will keep up this routine, but sometimes flooding happens even when the inlets are open.

“Our crews are limited to what they can do once inlets are under water,” Yates said. “They can hardly find them, much less try and clean them out. A lot of the time, the inlets are flooding due to capacity. It’s not due to anything blocking the line, it’s just that full of capacity.”

Yates said they are also expecting around eight new limb loader and picker trucks. He said those will help with limb and brush pick up after wind and rain storms.

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