City crews clear storm drains

AUSTIN (KXAN) - City of Austin crews were busy cleaning out storm drains to prevent flooding in neighborhoods during heavy rains Tuesday.

The calls for help started to come in early Tuesday morning and city Watershed Protection crews were dispatched to neighborhoods where people reported the storm drains were backing up and starting to cause flooding.

"If it gets clogged up, it can cause damage to vehicles and property so we want to get there and be there and get there in time," said Pete Reyes, with the watershed protection department.

The crews clear out these drains every day, not just on rainy days. Last year, they cleared 5,000 of them, about 20 each day. But there are 32,000 storm drains in the city and it is impossible to clear them all.

"You'd be surprised what would actually get through that little opening," said Reyes. "We've had boards, plastic, rims, we've found motor parts in these inlets."

If you need to report a backed up drain on your street or in your neighborhood, call 311.