How you can help prevent storm drain clogs this fall



EVERETT, Wash. - It’s been an unseasonably tame fall.

“We haven’t had much wind so the leaves are sticking around on the tree branches still,” street sweeper Mark Allen said.

But Allen knows the weather is turning.

“I better not call in sick because there is stuff to do,” Allen said.

Crews with Everett Public Works were driving around sucking in leaves and everything in between ahead of the rain and wind.

“We are removing rocks, debris, glass and nails,” Allen said.

He is only going 5 miles an hour but a lot can happen at that speed.

“People are always in a hurry,” Allen said.

He’s talking about a lot of drivers who try to go around street sweepers when they don’t have enough space.

“People thought they had room and they really didn’t they need to steer us a wide berth so we can do our job,” Allen said.

Once the Everett crews are done sweeping a neighborhood they may not be back to that same location for up to 6 weeks.

That’s enough time for leaves to pile up so crews are asking for help.

If you see leaves on top of a neighborhood drain do not pick it up and put it on the sidewalk. If you cannot recycle it then rake it to the downside of the drain so that if it rains it does not wash back up clogging the drain.

“Anything they can do to help us is reciprocated by the fact that they probably won’t get flooded themselves,” Allen said.

Allen says his workload is about to multiply but it’s nothing he hasn’t swept before.

“If I had a dollar for every leaf I’ve swept up, I'd be a richer man than the guy who just won the lottery, " Allen said.