MACON, Ga. — As we gear up for wet weather this spring, the Macon Water Authority wants people to take better care of the county's stormwater system.
So, they put out a commercial together to teach you what not to do.
"The first thing to know about your storm drain is it's not a trash can," the commercial says at the very beginning.
You may have seen it on TV, maybe even on 13WMAZ. The Macon Water Authority says that's the goal.
"Macon Water Authority, and the people of Macon-Bibb County, we consider ourselves as a team," Assistant Executive Director Michel Wanna said.
The team is recruiting folks to take care of the stormwater system.
"We have a lot of catch basins. And quite a few of them, over, I can say about 80% of them are full," he said.
They're full of things like leaves and sometimes even cement.
"We have found concrete in our pipe, almost a foot thick. Long way about 10 feet," Wanna said.
Stormwater Director Marvin Land says things like that put a lot of stress on the system.
"We don't have any cleaning in our system. It just flows gravity fed all the way to the river," Land said.
So, they're asking people to think before they dump something down the drain. That way, they can avoid flash floods like the one last summer on Zebulon Road.
"27,000 catch basins that we have to clean," Land said. "Before you get all the way through the system it's just about time to start back up."
Land says there are only six staff members and three vacuum trucks to clean all the catch basins in Macon-Bibb.
Wanna says they already have another commercial in process. That will explain the effects of animal waste on the drain system.
Wanna says the authority will also grant stormwater fee credits to churches and businesses who show the video.
For more information, you can head to the water authority website.