We’ve hoped for a warmup all season long, but coupled with rain, it is leaving water pooled in streets with nowhere to go.

We encourage residents to clean the snow and ice away from storm drains when possible to allow water a place to go and to reduce potential flooding.

With all the snow we’ve received this winter, it might be difficult to find the storm drains, as many are buried under feet of snow. In case you don’t know where the nearest one is, or you can’t locate it, the city of Albert Lea shared on its Facebook page Tuesday how you can easily find out.

One way is to type in your address on the street view on Google maps. Another way is to visit the city’s website at www.cityofalbertlea.org and select “GIS/ONLINE MAPPING” from the Services tab. Once on that page, people should then search for their street and then click on “inlets” on the left side of the page under city information. Once zoomed in on the map, storm drains will be identified with a red box.

If people are unable to dig out the storm drains closest to them and are experiencing flooding, they are asked to call the City Garage at 507-377-4377 to be added to the list for city staff to clean out the storm drains.

The scale of work needed to be completed by the Street Department is large this season with the higher than normal amounts of snow the city received. If you’re unable to physically help, give the city some eyes into your neighborhood and let them know if your street needs extra attention. 

A little help will go a long way.