TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The City of Twin Falls has askedresidents to chip in as the recent snows melt. By uncovering storm drains, the city hopes areas that are seeing flooding will be able to drain.
- A mapof all storm drains in Twin Falls makes it easy to find a drain near you.
- Crews from the Streets and Wastewater Departments are working to uncover drains around town, but with limited manpower, they might not make it to all of them.
- One business owner, Dan Brizee, bought a tractor with a loader bucket several years ago to tackle recurring problems with a blocked drain and snow berms outside his business.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
An unusual sight in the heart of the city.
A storm drain, blocked with snow and ice, sends sheets of water across the road, up over the sidewalk in Downtown Twin Falls, as warmer weather turns snow to water.
"Well, I knew the mission. I knew the mission. It's not the first time I've had to do this mission," said Dan Brizee.
Dan Brizee's family has been in downtown Twin Falls a long time.
"We Built it in 1919," added Brizee.
Any time there is heavy snow or rain, the Brizee and Blacker buildings on Second Ave. face the threat of flooding.
"There's a crack right along here and that's where the old sidewalk and everything was. And it finds its way down like this, you know the guy that gets flooded. I mean Blacker's just got a stream flowing through it," explained Brizee.
City crews are working around town to clear drains storm drains to help give the water somewhere to go, but crews may not make it to every drain, and there could be some areas of minor flooding.
“They can help us by going out and clogging those drains as possible to do so. Usually, it's not a significant task if you have a shovel or anything with long handle that you can get down in there and break the ice open that'll help drain it," said Josh Palmer, Public Information Coordinator for the City of Twin Falls.
The city asks residents not to remove the grates, but instead use a long-handled tool if necessary.
"We know how to deal with it. I bought this tractor to deal with so I bought this tractor about five or six years ago and I said, 'I gotta deal with it. If I don't deal with it no one else is," said Brizee.
