Daily maintenance from utilities ahead of potential rain from Beryl

ST. LOUIS – As the former Hurricane Beryl continues its track toward the region, utilities are continuing their daily operations, and some are ramping up ahead of the potential for heavy rain.

For Tuesday’s rain, the biggest factor that determines the kind of stormwater problems and flooding we could see is how much rain falls and how quickly.

“If we get two to four inches over a whole day, we wouldn’t expect a lot of widespread issues,” Sean Stone, MSD Project Clear. “If we get four to six inches inside of a couple hours, that could be a different story.”

MSD crews were out doing routine maintenance as they have almost 350,000 manholes and inlets in their service area, which includes the City of St. Louis and the majority of St. Louis County.

“We’re out inspecting it, cleaning it, repairing small problems before they become big problems,” Stone said.

Clogged inlets cause most of the issues during storms and the culprit for those clogged inlets are typically leaves, lawn clippings, and litter.

Their system is designed to handle a 15-to-20-year rain event.

“Anything more than that just doesn’t fit in the pipe. When that happens, it returns to its natural overland flow path. Your areas that are going to see the most issues are going to be your low-lying areas, your areas along creeks and streams,” Stone said.

The Missouri Department of Transportation had crews checking on sewers on the main highways and state roads. The Illinois Department of Transportation is also ready to go.

“All the yards have taken the necessary steps. What we’ve done is actually make sure all of our equipment is in. Refueled, we have our saws, chains, and other items that we would typically use in heavy rain or storms to clear the roads,” IDOT engineer Joe Monroe said.

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