Edinburg engineers report completed drainage projects, call for leaf-and-clippings education to reduce inlet blockages

City engineers and public works officials updated the Edinburg City Council on a slate of completed and ongoing storm drainage projects and described a public-education and preventive-maintenance campaign after recent rain events clogged inlets with leaves and grass clippings.

City Engineer Marloque Hinojosa reviewed completed projects — including Lowell Area Detention Pond, Veterans Pond Phase 1, Shunier Phase 2 and Stadium and Dawson improvements — and current construction work on detention ponds and pump stations around the city. Hinojosa said the Lowell detention pond, completed earlier this year, cost the city roughly $250,000 and provides added flood storage for subdivisions north of Monte Cristo.

Public Works Director Vincent Romero and Stormwater Manager David De La Fuente briefed council on how yard waste and blown grass clippings can block inlets, reduce drainage capacity and increase localized flooding. Romero said the city’s street-sweeping program and scheduled pickups remove debris by zone and urged residents to bag leaves and schedule brush…