As part of normal maintenance procedures, staff from the League City Stormwater Department regularly inspect and monitor known problem areas throughout the City to ensure ditches and outfalls are free of debris. Crews also follow a regular "mowing schedule" using special equipment to ensure the City’s various creeks and tributaries are not blocked with thick or overgrown grass and weeds, which can impact their ability to drain.
Recently, crews have completed “flowline maintenance” on several major outfalls including the Meadows tributary ditch, the upper reaches of Magnolia Creek near League City Parkway, and the Sweetgum ditch. This maintenance included the utilization of long reach excavators to remove silt and restore flowlines to their original condition.
Traffic and Streets crews, as part of their regular weekly maintenance efforts, patrol for blocked stormwater drains on streets. A simple trash can lid, tree limbs, or yard clippings can block a drain and cause an entire street to flood. Residents are encouraged to examine the drains on their street for obvious blockages, particularly before a storm or inclement weather event. Also before any storm or heavy rainfall event, residents should remove dead limbs from trees and secure any items outside of their home to prevent heavy winds from blowing them in or near a storm drain.
How you dispose of your trash can also have a huge impact on flooding and drainage issues in your neighborhood. To prevent storm drains from being blocked during a storm of heavy rain event, League City asks residents to:
- Avoid placing trash cans and bags in the gutters and place instead on a sidewalk, driveway, or top of curb.
- Bring in trash cans and recycling carts from the curb once the waste has been collected.
- Be aware of items like trash can lids, and half-full garbage bags that can float into the street and block a storm drain.
- To avoid pushing water into the yards of homes, garbage trucks will NOT travel down a flooded street to pick up waste or recycling. If this happens to you, please remove your waste from the curb and place it back for pick-up on your next scheduled day.
- If a storm or heavy rain is predicted on your heavy trash day, please save your items and place on the curb for the next scheduled date. Heavy trash items and yard waste, including bundled tree limbs, can float into streets and block the storm drains.