Cities Clean Storm Canals for Rainy Days Ahead

Debris, trash stop water from draining

WESLACO - Several Hidalgo County cities are helping each other prepare for the rainy days in the future.

They're cleaning the ditches in Alamo, Donna, Mercedes, and Weslaco to clear the way for heavy rain. Storm canals filled with debris and trash can cause problems for residents, since they stop the water from draining away.

Weslaco Public Facilities Director David Salinas says the biggest problem they see is tires being dumped into the drains.

George Garrett, the Weslaco and Donna Emergency Management Coordinator, says, "A lot of small communities, a lot of the communities, in fact, don't have the resources to be able to get into their ditches. They don't have the excavators. They don't have the ability to haul off the tires."

NEWSCHANNEL 5 spoke to Jesus Rosales, who lives next to a storm canal. He says he feels better knowing the ditches are being cleaned out.

"We all feel safer, the town and ourselves," he tells us. "It's security for all of us, for them to clean the ditches, so the water won't fill them up."

Rosales says he's hoping when the rains come, the water will stay in the ditch and not come into his home.

City leaders say residents can help fight illegal dumping. If you see someone putting trash into the canals, you can call 956-373-4677 to report it.