Ugly Mobile Storm Water System

Despite years of Storm Water System controversy in Mobile, Mobile's Storm Water drainage system still remains horribly neglected. Why?

The good news is Fox10tv did some investigating and found out the City of Mobile is responsible for maintaining the City's storm water drainage system. Duh! Fox10tv got City officials to admit to being negligent in keeping their ditches clean. Now it is costing Mobile taxpayers big dollars to correct the long time storm water system neglect.

http://www.fox10tv.com/story/30396960/fox10-news-investigates-the-cost-to-clean-neglected-ditches

The bad news is despite the knowledge of ditch neglect and the now higher cost to taxpayers in way of private contracts to properly maintain the City's storm water drainage system, plenty of Mobile's storm water inlets remain clogged and plenty of ditches remain polluted with trash despite years of complaints.

How can rain water drain into this main downtown street inlet filled with dirt and gravel? Can you say, "Hydroplane?" or "Flooding?"

This Baybridge Road center of road drainage inlet certainly will not drain water as fast when it remains clogged with dirt and grass.

Grass is typically left in drainage gutters after mowing along Baker Street by the City or the Railroad or the State Docks or whoever is contracted out to do the mowing. This illegal grass litter contributes to clogged gutters and drainage inlets.

I often wondered why the City did not require an inlet in this low spot along Baker Street often flooded after rain. Construction in the area recently uncovered an inlet that has been buried for years. There is apparently no program to regularly clean street gutters and inlets in Mobile. Mobile City Council members seem to believe it is more important to build unpopular museums, install plastic and rubber crumb soccer fields, and fund an outdoor ice skating rink when temperatures are still in the 70s and 80s rather than to maintain important City drainage infrastructure.

Another clogged drainage inlet seen along a major road in downtown Mobile. No wonder why there is so much flooding in Mobile.

Just who is responsible for keeping drainage ditches free of trash? This is the ever trashy ditch next to the I-65 Walmart.

Just who is responsible for maintaining storm water ditches like Maple Street Canal? Apparently it is the City based on the Fox10tv investigation. This trashy ditch has NOT been cleaned a single time in at least 4 years despite 4 years of complaints to the City of Mobile and ADEM.

The media should be asking why the City of Mobile official(s) responsible for the long time and continued neglect of the City's important municipal stormwater drainage system (MS4) is not in jail for contributing to the Pollution of State waters in violation of the federal Clean Water Act and for putting the public at unnecessary risk for vehicle hydroplaning and flooding.