Pocatello preps storm drains for more heavy rain

Homeowners in Old Town Pocatello saw widespread flooding Friday when heavy rain overwhelmed the city’s aging storm drains and left inches of water to collect in the streets.

With more rain expected in the next couple of days, Pocatello’s Street Operations Department said it is working to clear storm drains of any debris.

Tom Kirkman, the street operations superintendent, said he has crews sweeping the streets daily.

“It’s just as simple as one of our crews or a citizen going out with a rake and cleaning the leaves or debris off the drain,” said Kirkman.

Kirkman said the city’s drains are usually able to cope with moderate rain events, but he said last week’s storm proved more than it could handle.

He also said that during this time of year, seeds from elm trees are helping to clog the city’s drains.

“We have a lot of seeds in the roads that float down and clog our storm drains,” said Kirkman.

Kirkman said he plans to monitor the weather and should heavy rain threaten, he said he’ll send crews out the day before to clean the city’s catch basins and inlets.

You can follow the department’s activity on its Facebook page.