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Clearing catch basins to prevent flooded roads

Posted at 9:32 PM, Feb 03, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-03 21:32:54-05

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. -- The City of Grand Rapids is asking people to clear the catch basins on their streets to avoid flooding from all the melting snow.

Here's how to find one near your house.

David Farr found his catch basin in his west side neighborhood the old fashioned way, by digging around until he hit the drain. He had the help of a neighbor to clear it.

“We just didn’t want the water to back up," Farr said, "becauseif you look over there, you see puddles. So me and my neighbors, we got straight with the program.”

Clearing the drain works: just one block over, where the catch basin was blocked, the street was flooded.

“What’s it going to do for the neighborhood? It’s going to keep the water—look at the roads. No water! I just don’t want people to get hurt tomorrow,” Farr said, noting that for him it's just the neighborly thing to do. He worries about the kids walking to school and the drivers on his street. So, for him, taking the hour or so to make sure the road in front of his house doesn't flood is totally worth it.

“Once it freezes again, Lord knows. It’s Michigan. If it was 20 degrees again, how fast would all this be ice?”