VILLAS – Lower Township’s Department of Public Works might have to reconsider the way it does leaf pickup because of the problem leaves are causing with the storm sewer system.
Gary Douglass, the department’s superintendent, told the Township Council on Wednesday, Jan. 17, that Roseann Avenue in North Cape May continued to flood despite the township’s spending $5 million to reconstruct the stormwater trunk line there and construct a pumping station at the western terminus of the road.
Douglass said flooding on the road, mainly after major storms, was not due to any malfunction in the system, but because there are too many leaves clogging the storm sewer grates.
He said that several months ago there was a problem in the 200 block of Roseann Avenue. He then spoke to the engineer and the pump manufacturer, and the engineer recommended removing the “trash rack” that catches debris before it gets to the pump. He said the manufacturer told him the pump would be able to handle leaves and small bottles.
On Jan. 9, the area experienced a storm that dropped more than 2 inches of rain in a short amount of time, which Douglass said created a mess in some areas of the township. He said the rain moved so many leaves into the storm sewers it shut down the system.
He said that in the midst of the storm he had crews taking leaves out of the storm basins.
Douglass said Public Works had asked homeowners to rake leaves to the curb line, but they often end up in the street and, eventually, into the storm sewer system.
“It may be time to come up with another idea,” he said. “Maybe have homeowners put the leaves in biodegradable bags.”
Douglass said the street flooding problem tends to happen during or after major storms. After the Jan. 9 downpour, people were calling the township because water was pooling in their yards, and they thought there might be a broken water supply line.
He said people have to understand that the water table is very high, and with the introduction of a lot of stormwater, the ground can’t absorb it right away, leading to pooling. He added that it is not a sign of a problem with the infrastructure.
Douglass said the solution might come down to different collection methods or to enforcement. Mayor Frank Sippel said it might be a job for code enforcement.
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
