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HAVERHILL, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Haverhill’s Public Works Department is bracing for heavy rainfall and potential flooding ahead of this week’s storms.
After cleaning up last weekend’s snow storm, Haverhill DPW has been preparing for Tuesday and Wednesday’s predicted storms.
The expected heavy rainfall may cause flooding, especially when combined with snow melt.
“We hit the jackpot in Haverhill. We got a little under 18 inches” of snow over the weekend, said Robert Ward, director of Haverhill DPW.
On Tuesday, Ward and DPW crews have been working to prevent flooding by clearing out storm drains, also called catch basins, which have been covered in snow.
“The snow banks, where all the snow plows plowed all the snow, are covering up a lot of the catch basins,” said Ward.
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Catch basins help prevent flooding by collecting and temporarily storing rainwater runoff from streets, yards and paved surfaces.
“Anything that’s going to block the catch basins from taking on water is a problem,” explained Ward, and this includes the snow banks from last weekend’s winter storm.
Haverhill DPW crews have focused on clearing storm drains in areas more prone to flooding. But they cannot clear all 10,000 of them in time for the upcoming rainstorm.
Ward urged businesses and residents of Haverhill to help clear the catch basins on their streets if possible.
WBZ NewsRadio's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports:
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