Tampa doubles ditch clearing pace ahead of hurricane season, some residents say upkeep remains battle

TAMPA, Fla. - The city of Tampa announced crews have already graded and cleared more than 13,400 linear feet of ditches so far this year, which is double the pace from this time last year.

That work involves using heavy machinery to clear out vegetation and physically reshape the slopes of the ditches to improve water flow.

By the numbers:

Crews also removed roughly 1,630 tons of debris from those ditches. 

"It's a little bit difficult to envision, but for comparison's sake, in weight, that's equivalent to about four 747 airliners. So, it's an awful lot that we end up scooping out and hauling away," Brandon Campbell, city of Tampa mobility director, said. 

That represents double the amount of completed ditch work compared to this time last year, the city added. 

Big picture view:

The ditch grading is one part of a much larger infrastructure push. 

According to city data for January to February of this year, crews also have:

• Repaired 42 cave-ins
• Cleaned 137,807 linear feet of stormwater pipes
• Removed 4.91 tons of trash from local stormwater ponds

"We're improving our retention ponds — we're cleaning those out. We are repaving and grading streets throughout the entire city," Tampa city council chair Alan Clendenin said Wednesday. "We are refurbishing and putting in pumps for our pumping systems. Every one of these elements is just one component of a much larger system to assist the city of Tampa in making sure that we have a safe environment in all our neighborhoods."

So, how does the city measure the success of all this digging and clearing? How much faster should water drain thanks to all this work? 

"We generally want all the water to get out of the system in an intense summer storm within a couple of hours," Campbell explained. "Of course, the intensity of the rainfall itself is a huge variable in how quickly the rain both accumulates and gets out of the neighborhood."

The other side:

While the city points to its massive progress, neighbors living near city ditches told FOX 13 that maintaining them can be a battle. 

Tampa resident Albert Reyes has a city ditch running through his front yard. He was out picking up trash in it on Wednesday and said routine maintenance of the ditch can sometimes be the biggest issue.

"It wouldn't hurt," Reyes said of the city’s overall work to regrade and clear out ditches. "My problem is, I really don't have anyone that I feel that I can talk to, to maintain (or) help, because people throw trash out here, and we pick it up."

During a press conference Wednesday, the city said it does check on its ditches regularly. 

"We have a monthly mowing contract, so we inspect the mowing. We have a good — at least drive-by- inspection of all of our ditches on a monthly basis. And then we have a more intense and focused inspection effort at least once every seven years," Campbell said. "In addition to that, if someone has a concern about the ditch in their neighborhood or in front of their house, we're happy to respond to that and to check on it. 

To report your concerns, Campbell said residents should go to tampaconnect.com or call 813-274-3101.

What's next:

City officials also issued a strict warning for residents and local lawn care services: Do not blow leaves or yard debris into storm drains. 

Not only can it lead to flooding, but it can also result in fines, starting at $75 for a first violation and up to $450 for repeat offenders.