ST PAUL, Minnesota — As the snow melts, crews have been busy clearing storm drains to avoid street flooding.
There are more than 28,000 storm drains or catch basins in St. Paul. Crews have cleared more than 500 of them so far, according to Lisa Hiebert, the public information officer for St. Paul Public Works.
"If people are seeing some pooling water on their streets, it's maybe a good indication that the storm drain is plugged and needs some help to get that open," Hiebert said.
Hiebert said the city is hoping residents can help out and clear any storm drains near them, if they're able to.
"If people have issues, they can certainly call us here at the city. What we're looking for right now and the priority is if there is actually standing water. So that pooling water means that there's probably some ice in the storm drains and we probably need to steam them open for them. But if people are able to, we would really appreciate the extra help," Hiebert said.
Residents who notice flooding or cannot get a storm drain open can call St. Paul Public Works at 651-266-9700 or email publicworksinfo@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
Diane Johnson, who lives in the Highland Park neighborhood, was outside Monday afternoon looking for her storm drain.
"Everything is covered and it's like a treasure hunt to try and find it, to unearth it," Johnson said.
If you can't find your storm drain because of all the snow, KARE 11 viewer Heather Winsand suggested going into Google Maps and using satellite view to zoom in to your street.
Kristi Pohl, also in the Highland Park neighborhood, was busy Monday chipping away at the ice on her sidewalk.
"We have some great neighors who are good about clearing out the fire hydrants and the storm drains but it's just been so hard to keep up," Pohl said.
In Minneapolis, city crews have been clearing out storm drains for several weeks. There are 55,000 catch basins in Minneapolis and as of Monday afternoon, more than 750 of them had been cleared. According to Minneapolis spokesperson Sarah McKenzie, crews are focused on areas prone to localized street flooding.
"Residents who help out by clearing storm drains should put safety first. It can be a challenging job," said McKenzie, in an email.
People are encouraged to call 311 to report any flooding issues.