ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Albany leaders say they may have found a proactive solution to decrease flooding along city streets.

Constant rain over the last few days have caused flooding in some areas of Albany. City commissioners plan to vote on a proposal to outsource catch basin cleanings.

Commissioner Chad Warbington says the city has been operating in a “reactionary mode.”

That means that when residents would call to express their concerns about flooding and full storm drains, the city would intervene and handle that one specific drain.

If the outsourcing is approved, the city believes they will not only save money, but also clean out the more than 8,600 drains in the city.

“The cost of adding the jet vacs, which would be required, to complete the maintenance of every catch basin within the year would be in excess of $2.5 million. And also, we are having a challenge retaining the individuals who have the expertise operating this equipment,” said Mayor Bo Dorough.

The city is looking to contract Inframark to manage these drains. Inframark’s regional manager says that if hired, the company will empty out and deep clean every drain within the city limits at least once. The drains that are known to flood often will be cleaned out multiple times a year, especially before storms.

Commissioner Chad Warbington added, “I suspect, and I believe that this is going to make a huge impact to the flooding we see on the streets and in our neighborhoods. The piping is there, we just gotta get the water in the pipes to get the water off the streets.”

The Albany City Commission will be voting to contract Inframark for catch basin cleaning on Aug. 26. If the contract is approved, residents can expect the cleaning to start soon after.

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