BOISE, Idaho — All the snow throughout the Treasure Valley could lead to flooding once temperatures rise later this week. That is why keeping an eye on storm drains near your house is important.
"Once the snow starts to melt, it brings another challenge, and that is the drains; the water from the melting snow goes to our drains. If those drains don't stay open, well, it can lead to flooding," said Jeff Barnes, City of Nampa director of water resources.
Barnes said they manage 4,600 storm drains and more than 170 miles of underground pipe around the city. Because the city has such a large area to cover, crews did help.
“If you're in a neighborhood, we were asking neighbors to chip in and help us out because of the number of storm drains," he said.
Idahoans do not need to start clearing storm drains until the snow starts to melt, he said. Once that happens, they should be clear of leftover snow, ice and leaves.
In Ada County, the Ada County Highway District manages the storm drain system. ACHD and the City of Nampa have maps online of all the storm drains in their areas.
Because storm drains can be hard to find with all the snow, Barnes recommends looking online.
ACHD and the City of Nampa have provided the following maps to indicate where storm drains are located.
ACHD storm drain map:
Nampa storm drain and plow map:
If there is major flooding in a neighborhood once the snow starts to melt, Idahoans should reach out to whatever agency maintains their roads.
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