Stormwater and Flood Plain Management | City of Riverdale, Iowa

City Council discusses process for enforcing yard waste ordinance during the fall.

Oct 25, 2019 | City Notices, Neighborhood News, News Feed, Stormwater and Flood Plain Management

At last Tuesday’s City Council Meeting (10/22/19), the Riverdale City Council discussed what they thought was reasonable enforcement of the City’s code concerning a Resident’s responsibility to control their own yard waste – and how that code will be enforced this fall.

It was generally acknowledged that there are some “habitual offenders” when it comes to people raking or blowing their yard waste into the street so it can be washed down the drain. This can cause problems with the City’s stormwater system and violates City Code 135.03.

Council members felt one warning letter per household was enough of notice. After that, offending households will receive a citation from the City explaining the infraction, the amount of the fine and how to remedy the situation going forward. Fines will increase with subsequent infractions.

The Mayor explained that while the City recognizes that some residents live in areas where trees overhang and drop leaves, etc. into the street, the main concern of the Council related to those residents who push their yard waste into the street rather than preparing it to be hauled away and leaving it out for pick-up on Mondays after a weekend of yard work.

Why it matters. It’s not just about making sure Riverdale looks nice.

The fact is, Riverdale – like metropolitan cities across Iowa of every size – has to follow certain storm water management practices that are mandated by the State of Iowa. Among those practices is a requirement to eliminate as much plant matter from the storm sewers as possible.

That means we all have to work together to keep grass clippings, leaves, sticks and such out of our storm drains and sewers. Failure to do so could result in penalties from the State – and that would cost the entire community.

The easiest thing to do to meet this requirement is to make sure your personal yard waste isn’t left in the street to go down the drains and into our storm sewers.

What you SHOULD do.

Please either blow the debris back into your yard or bag it in kraft paper bags (like the ones shown) for weekly collection. Remember, yard waste collection is paid for out of the City’s budget as part of our waste management contract with Republic Services – so there is NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE to residents to do this.

If you don’t have large, kraft paper bags for your yard waste, you can use garbage cans instead. Just make sure the yard waste is loose in the cans so everything dumps out. Please DON’T BAG YOUR YARD WASTE if you put it in a garbage can.

Also, if you have sticks or branches that need to be hauled away, they need to be no thicker than your wrist and cut into lengths not to exceed four feet in length. Please bundle sticks and branches together so they’re easier to handle by the crew picking up yard waste on Mondays.

Yard waste pick-up will continue through November.

Cleaning up your yard? Don’t leave it in the street!

Oct 17, 2019 | Stormwater and Flood Plain Management, Street Maintenance

As homeowners all over Riverdale start to get ready for falling leaves and the final weekends in the yard before the snow flies, we’d like to offer a friendly reminder: please don’t leave your yard waste in the city’s streets this fall or you could be fined for violated Chapter 135.05 of the Riverdale City Code.

In past years, the City hasn’t said much to residents who rake their grass clippings, sticks and dead leaves into the street. But now that Riverdale doesn’t have its own street sweeper and is paying an outside contractor to clean our streets, we’re mindful of the additional expense created when too much debris is in the streets to give them a good cleaning.

We don’t sweep the streets just to make them look pretty

Leaves and grass clippings on Circle Drive sometime last fall. Please make sure your yard clippings and leaves are either burned or bagged this season.

In fact, quarterly street sweeping and drain cleaning is part of the City’s obligation to retain its storm water management certification, required for metropolitan cities of all sizes – including Riverdale. By keeping our streets and gutters free of debris, stormwater (like rain or melted snow) has a place to go and won’t pool up and freeze at night. That can save the City loads of money down the road by reducing maintenance costs and reducing risks and damage from pooling water.

This fall, City personnel will be checking our streets regularly to make sure yard waste is being handled correctly. Residents who don’t seem to have a handle on their wayward leaves and grass clippings will get a reminder notice in the mail, first. Continued failings/code violations will result in fines.

Let us know if you have any questions in the comment area, below.

How rain barrels can help you manage stormwater runoff.

Oct 3, 2019 | News Feed, Stormwater and Flood Plain Management

The City’s engineering firm, MSA Professional Services, provides some good information on how residents can manage their stormwater runoff with a simple rain barrel.

Rain barrels.

What are they? What purpose do they serve? Are they easy enough to maintain? Where can I get one that doesn’t cost $100, locally? What should I consider before I commit to it? Can they freeze, or do they have to be drained in winter? Do they breed mosquitoes? Can you water your garden/yard with water that has mosquito preventative in it? Are there restrictions on them here? Are they worth the effort?

Rain barrels are typically placed at the end of roof downspouts. The intent is to capture storm water runoff to supplement nonpotable water use, usually garden irrigation. If deployment of rain barrels are substantial in a watershed, they could potentially reduce runoff volume and increase pollutant removal. It is not likely that most homeowners would adopt the use of them, but every little bit helps.

For the home owner who is active in maintaining their yard and/or their garden, rain barrels are easy to maintain. They can be part of a complex system that captures roof runoff and then distributes it via tubes to irrigate plants. Or they can be very simple, and the distribution of the storm water relies on the home owner and a bucket or watering can.

You can purchase good rain barrels from Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, on-line, etc. Or you can make them yourself. Guides to make your own rain barrel are on-line and easily found. Also, there is, what appears to be a store on US 67 in Davenport that also advertises rain barrels on a front door sign.

Depending upon the design of a rain barrel and if water is not circulated through them regularly, they do have the potential to breed mosquitoes. Adding a small amount of liquid dish soap, vegetable oil, or mosquito dunks to your rain barrel every week will kill the mosquito larvae. It is safe to utilize water with any of these items in it on your yard plant and gardens. In addition to controlling mosquitos, here in Iowa, rain barrels should be drained every autumn.

The pay-back period on a rain barrel is very long. If you are contemplating the use of a rain barrel only to save costs on the purchase of water, then it is recommended you do not consider utilizing a rain barrel. If you want better quality water to water your yard and garden plants, then rain barrels will provide better quality water for plants. This is mostly because chlorine is not present in the captured storm water.

Some communities out west forbid the use of rain barrels. The water runoff is an essential component of downstream commercial agriculture and/or community water supply. In Iowa, generally, rain barrels are allowed, and their use is encouraged.

A PDF of this document can be found by clicking here.

Stormwater tips for the homeowner

Sep 25, 2019 | News Feed, Public Works, Stormwater and Flood Plain Management

With the recent storms of the past few days and the expected rainfall that will be occurring throughout the week or so, we feel it’s necessary to provide a handy homeowner’s guide for managing stormwater runoff.

You can download your copy of the guide here. (Note: the guide will open in a separate window)

The guide is designed to help homeowners understand what stormwater is, how runoff can become a problem and what you (as a homeowner) can do about it.

The guide is not a substitute for professional design and implementation of stormwater runoff plans, but it should help you become more informed on the general concerns, solutions and practices associated with this issue.

The City will (via its website and e-newsletter) provide educational material on stormwater handling on a regular basis.

Valley Drive Drainage Project completed

Sep 11, 2019 | News Feed, Public Works, Stormwater and Flood Plain Management

According to this report from the City’s engineering firm, MSA Professional Consultants, the sub-contractor on this project, McClintock Trucking & Excavating, has completed the project. According to a field report provided by MSA’s Chris Cooper, “The project is complete and conforms to the sketch prepared by MSA and approved by the City of Riverdale.”

The discharge pipe has been moved to a new location, which has since been seeded and blanketed (to prevent erosion). The new location for the pipe means there will be little, if any, water seeping onto Valley Drive this fall and winter.

(Update 08/30/19) – The City’s engineering firm, MSA Professional Services, has provided an update that the work on the Valley Drive Drainage project is nearing completion. This report shows the contractor, McClintock Trucking and Excavating, restoring the project site after the excavation and other infrastructure work to install a new drainage structure was completed.

All that is left to do on the site, according to MSA, is to seed the area and submit paperwork to the City for payment.

Construction of a new drainage system in the hillside facing Valley Drive (near the I-67/State Street intersection) should eliminate drainage and icing problems at the location during winter and spring.

(Update 08/29/19) – The City’s engineering firm, MSA Professional Services, has provided an update on the Valley Drive Drainage project.

This report shows the the construction of the drainage improvements. The contractor, McClintock Trucking and Excavating, was using 8″ diameter PVC, although 6″ diameter PVC was originally specified. MSA approved the alteration.

This project is nearing completion.

Project Details:

Scope of Work:

The sub-contractor was expected to supply all labor, equipment and materials to dig up and cut existing pipe and set a new 36″ area drain; run 165′ of 6″ pipe; pour new fillet in new area drain; backfill and compact the open-cut trench; seed with appropriate seed and then cover with a straw mat.

Budget:

MSA Professional Services = TBD

Sub-Contractor(s) = Bid of $11,355 was accepted from bidding sub-contractor; actual costs were $11,335

Project Bid Date:

MSA Proposal was submitted to Council for review; approval was granted on: ________.

Sub-contractor bids were received the beginning of July. One bid was for $39,100. The second bid was for $11,355

Project Start Date:

TBD

Project Completion Date:

September 5, 2019

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