Why don crews clean the storm drains before the first rain?
The Department of Water Resources’ Stormwater Utility regularly cleans and clears the storm drain system by following a five-year cleaning schedule for more than 2,000 miles of County maintained drainage pipes. Pipes that have a history of problems are cleaned yearly. Storm drain inlets may not have debris on or around them, but the pipes underground may be clogged, causing a water backup. The Stormwater Utility welcomes calls from the public notifying us of problem storm drains and encourages residents to help by keeping storm drains near their homes and businesses clear of debris.
