As the leaves turn to gold, red and brown and fall off the trees, the city of Ironton is once again asking citizens not to rake them into the streets.

Once the leaves get in the street, they also get into the wastewater/storm water system and cause blockages as well as flooding. The street sweeper also has a difficult time picking them up.

We are asking for citizens to bag their leaves and put them out with the trash. The sanitation department will then pick them up. If it is an absolute must, at least put them in a pile to be picked up by our street department. But, we prefer they bag them.

Over the past several years we have invested in our infrastructure by re-lining and cleaning our wastewater system, which is also a combination storm drain system. If a large amount of leaves and other debris get into the wastewater pipes, it causes blockages.

It clogs the drain and when it rains, flooding can and most likely will occur. The wastewater facility then has to clean the leaves and debris out of the system, which takes a lot of time and can delay other projects.

The best plan is to recycle the leaves and put them back into their yard, but if that is not possible we encourage them to limit the amount to 10 bags per trash day.

I appreciate your assistance and understanding with this issue and with your help, Ironton will continue to be a better place to live, work and play.

 

Mayor Rich Blankenship