The City would like to encourage residents and business owners to keep our City beautiful by keeping our storm drainage system clean and debris free. The storm water drainage system in our city helps our communities in many ways. Storm drains are important and necessary in minimizing flooding in our streets and rights-of-way, treating and trapping pollution that is in stormwater runoff, which could hamper drainage and protect from pollutants. By paying attention to and keeping our storm drains free and clear of debris runoff ensures that our drinking water stays clean and keeps our cost to treat our water low.
Below are some things you can do and avoid with our storm drain systems; to help us all keep our city clean and green.
Do’s
• Regularly inspect drainage inlets, parking lots and open areas. If you see litter or debris, clean it up before it gets in the drains
• Inspect your local storm drains each May. If you see litter or the drain is clogged, call the number below to have our Public Works Department respond
• Use a broom or rake and rake up and dispose of vegetation and yard clippings. Leaf blowers blow this vegetation into our drains, which get clogged and stop working
• Keep all chemicals away from storm drains and bodies of water
• Keep your swales clean and green through regular mowing and maintenance
• For businesses, store all chemicals indoors or under cover. Don’ts
• Hose down driveways, paved areas or spills as a cleaning practice; sweep up debris and dispose in a trash can • Use leaf blowers to clean sidewalks and driveways. Vegetation will end up in the street, and when it rains, it will all end up in our drains
• Place your grass and yard clippings over storm drains
• Clean equipment next to or near storm drains
• Park your cars on swales, or place gravel in swales! Compaction of swales leads to increased flooding in our neighborhoods.
For more information on our storm drains, or to report clogged drains, contact the City’s Floodplain Management Program (Mike Gambino), at 305.622.8039 or Email: mgambino@miamigardensfl.gov.
