With Rain in the Forecast, Seattleites Asked to Help Keep Storm Drains Clear
But Personal Safety — Staying Out of the Way of Flooding — is Urged Above All Else

For immediate release: 8/19/08
For more information, Contact:
Seattle Public Utilities Customer Service, (206) 684-3000

SEATTLE — With the National Weather Service calling for almost an inch of rain in the 12-hour period from 5 p.m. today until 5 a.m. Wednesday, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is urging residents to clear debris from street drains at risk of clogging, and to stay out of low-lying areas prone to flooding.

Drainage crews will be on emergency standby during the expected storm period, and SPU is prepared to call in additional personnel as needed. To report a flooding problem, please call 206-386-1800.

When it rains, street drains — 80,000 of them around the city — are one of the critical pieces of infrastructure that keep the City’s neighborhoods from flooding. Although autumn typically brings the most favorable conditions for flooding (drain-clogging leaves coupled with the onset of storm season), stopped drains can cause problems any time of the year.

While SPU’s full time drainage crews do a good job of clearing out the thousands of street drains requiring maintenance each year, they can’t be everywhere at once. At times of heavy rain, the City asks residents’ help keeping drains clear of leaves and other debris. Use a rake to remove leaves and debris from storm drains, and then place the material in your yard waste cart to be turned into compost.

To help prevent flooding, SPU last fall launched a new Adopt-a-Drain program aimed at creating a corps of volunteers to help clear out the most flood-prone of the city’s street drains. Since then, dozens of volunteers have signed up for the program.

Signing up for the new program is easy. Visit Seattle Public Utilities on the Web, and search on “Adopt A Drain” — or call the Adopt-a-Drain hotline, at 206-684-7647. Leave your name, phone number, and address and we will send you everything — gloves, bags, rakes, brooms, safety vests, and shovels — to get started.

Other tips for rainy days include:

1. Stay out of the way of flood waters. Play it safe and stay out of low-lying areas during times of heavy rains. If your basement is prone to flooding, stay out of the basement until the risk of flooding has passed.

2. Maintain gutters and downspouts. Clean your gutters and the drainage downspouts attached to your roof twice a year. Direct flows from downspouts away from your home, without discharging flows to adjacent properties.

3. Maintain drainage systems. Don't put grass clippings, leaves or other debris into the drains, ditches, creeks, culverts, gutters or ravines. (In fact, it's against the law). If you live at the base of a hill or on a cliff, ensure that drainage and retaining walls are in good shape. Preventative planting can also help reduce the chance of a mud slide or flooding.

4. Assess your yard. Make sure the ground slopes away from your home. The area within 10 feet of your home should slope away from your house. Call a tree trimmer to inspect your trees and identify any hidden diseases or weak branches that could fall in high winds.

5. Inspect your roof. Inspect for leaks or damage to rain gutters that could cause a flat roof to flood.

6. Know where your shut offs are. If flooding occurs, you’ll need to know how to shut off electricity, gas and water at main switches and valves.

7. Keep your distance from downed power lines. Anyone seeing a downed line should immediately report it by calling (206) 684-3000.

If there seems to be a blockage below the street surface that is not remedied by removing debris from a storm drain, call Seattle Public Utilities’ Drainage and Wastewater Maintenance, at (206) 386-1800.

For more tips on dealing with weather-related emergencies, please visit Seattle Department of Transportation.

Visit the Yard & Food Waste Collection website for more information about Seattle’s yard waste collection program or call (206) 684-3000 to subscribe.

In addition to providing drainage services in Seattle, SPU provides more than 1.3 million people in the metropolitan area with a reliable water supply and provides customers in Seattle with essential solid waste and sewer services that protect public health while balancing social and environmental responsibilities in a cost-effective way.

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Seattle Public Utilities