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 system and cause trouble. The street sweeper also has trouble 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. But we prefer they bag them.

If a large amount of leaves get into the wastewater pipes, it can cause blockages.

It clogs the drain and when it rains, we have flooding. The wastewater facility then has to clean the leaves out which takes a lot of time and delays 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.

Rich Blankenship is mayor of Ironton.