INDIANAPOLIS – As temperatures rise and the snow melts this spring, residents across the Hoosier state will venture outdoors to clean up and maintain their property after a long winter. National Flood Awareness Week this year is March 15 through 19, and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is encouraging citizens to prevent flooding in their neighborhoods by helping clear brush and other debris out of storm water drainage lines.

“Flood conditions can quickly overwhelm existing storm water drainage systems,” INDOT Commissioner Michael W. Reed said. “INDOT encourages neighbors to join together to minimize the impact flood waters can have on Indiana’s homes, farms and roadways.”

Without taking preventive measures, clogged or blocked drainage systems can lead to numerous problems. Flood waters can prevent wells, sump pumps, septic systems and sanitary sewers from working properly. Poor drainage can cause potholes and slick driving conditions on our public road network. In the warmer months, standing water can inhibit the growth of crops or provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

In an effort to improve the lives of all Hoosiers, INDOT is offering the following helpful tips: keep storm inlets clear throughout the year. Remove leaves when you rake your yard each fall; clear snow and ice during the winter when shoveling your driveway and sidewalk; never step into live traffic or deep water to clear out a storm inlet; improve the flow of creek beds, swales and ditches, including roadside ditches; work with neighbors to mow or trim back vegetation while still maintaining erosion control benefits; never pile yard waste, fill dirt or household trash into an open ditch; d not litter; storm water sweeps away loose trash into the drainage system, where it clogs up storm inlets, pipes and other enclosed storm drainage; keep trash bins covered and secured; maintain private driveway pipes or drainage tiles, because private enclosed drainage systems play an important role in the larger drainage system and property owners are responsible for clearing silt, debris and other blockages from private driveway pipes and drainage tiles that run along or across public roadways. City, county and state agencies typically require a permit before digging or altering drainage within public right of way; and finally, do not build a garage or other building in a flood plain, because the closer a new or expanded building comes to the elevation or location of a nearby drainage facility increases the chances that building will be flooded.

Along with its annual maintenance work program, INDOT is improving or replacing drainage facilities on state and local roadways with its record-breaking Major Moves and Recovery Act construction efforts. Since July, your state and federal transportation taxes financed: installation or replacement of 237 linear miles of storm sewers and other drainage pipe; cleaning of 37,412 culverts, pipes and storm inlets; installation or replacement of 5,800 storm inlets and catch basins; grading 515 linear miles of highway shoulders for improved drainage into open side ditches; cleaning out or grading 115 linear miles of open ditches; and lining 1.5 miles of existing pipe as a preventive maintenance measure.

Prior to beginning major road construction projects, INDOT’s hydraulic experts survey all known drainage facilities and consult with local county surveyors or city and town public works agencies. Storm water retention or detention features are often added where local authorities say nearby drainage systems are not able to accommodate any additional flow.

Once INDOT contractors begin moving dirt, temporary erosion control measures are installed, such as check dams, straw bales or silt fence. Should contractors encounter underground drainage pipes not identified during surveys, INDOT will work during construction to maintain drainage for those facilities.

INDOT maintained roadways are required to accept all the runoff they receive. Should storm water be backing onto other properties on only one side of a numbered interstate, U.S. highway or state route, please contact INDOT’s Customer Service Hotline at 866-849-1DOT (1368) or the appropriate INDOT district office, which can be found at http://dotmaps.indot.in.gov/apps/districtmaps