Garbage, furniture clogging storm drains could cause flooding

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With the area seeing significant rainfall this week, the major cause for concern is unnecessary flooding due to clogged storm drains. 

People who live along Sheridan Lane in the South Metro area of Jacksonville may have to deal with flooding thanks to the abundance of garbage that has been dumped in storm drains. 

Three newly built houses on the street were recently rented out, and Tommy Roberts is one of the renters. He told News4Jax on Tuesday that he was shocked to learn people have been dumping garbage and even large pieces of furniture in storm drains that run right behind his home. 

“That’s actually terrible because it affects my family and my yard with them doing that, because it’s pretty much pollution," Roberts said. 

It's pollution that clogs storm drains, which ultimately leads to flooding when heavy rain starts.

Just ask the people living along University Boulevard in the Fort Caroline area. On Monday evening, clogged drains led to moderate flooding that left sidewalks and front yards under more than 2 feet of water.

“Apparently, the drains just keep clogging up," said Tony Mitzlaff, a Fort Caroline resident. "So we were kind of freaked out about it.”

Roberts said he saw minor flooding in his backyard during Monday’s storms, but that was long before someone decided to dump furniture on the drain.

“Now I got to figure out how to get this cleaned up and waste my time calling the city to come pick up someone else’s trash because they were too lazy," he said. 

Every time the drains are clogged, it also leads to a lot of standing water, which becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes.


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