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Keeping city drains and canals clear amid recent rain
Public works crews in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Tampa are clearing ditches and monitoring low-lying areas after recent heavy rain flooded local roads. FOX 13's Briona Arradondo reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Heavy rain across the Tampa Bay area tested local drainage systems and left several roads underwater, keeping local public works crews busy as forecasters track Hurricane Isaias in the Gulf.
Local Drainage Efforts
What we know:
Crews across Hillsborough County, Pinellas County and Tampa are actively clearing ditches, drains and canals while monitoring vulnerable low-lying areas. The City of Tampa reports that crews have shaped up or graded over 11 miles or 60,000 feet of city ditches since January.
In Hillsborough County, crews set up warning signs for roads underwater following flash flooding in Town 'n Country. According to Hillsborough County Public Works Engineering and Operations Director Josh Bellotti, local systems are built to handle 25-year storm events, but recent rainfall was more than double that capacity. Over 3.5 inches of rain fell during a single overnight event, with high-intensity bursts reaching 1.3 inches in under 15 minutes.
"Our focus is on making sure that the system is operating to where it can recover, and those waters can recede as quickly as possible, and fortunately they have," said Bellotti.
Vulnerable Areas Monitored
What we don't know:
It is not yet known how many total roadways suffered long-term damage or exactly how many additional inches of rainfall Hurricane Isaias may bring to local communities.
County officials are keeping an extra emphasis on maintenance, particularly along the Henry Street Canal in Town 'n Country and throughout the Egypt Lake-Leto area, which remains vulnerable. Across Tampa Bay, Pinellas County public works staff are monitoring stream gauges and prepping pumps to respond to flooded roads over the weekend.
Future Infrastructure Plans
What's next:
Several long-term infrastructure upgrades are currently moving through planning stages. Pinellas County has stormwater and drainage projects in the design phase for Joe's Creek, Crystal Beach and Baypointe. Meanwhile, Hillsborough County recently secured a federal stormwater grant, with a portion of the funds designated to repair eroded areas in Town ‘n Country damaged by Hurricane Milton.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from interviews conducted by FOX13’s Briona Arradondo with officials from the City of Tampa, Pinellas County, and Hillsborough County Public Works Engineering and Operations Director Josh Bellotti.