The Brief
- Heavy rain and uncollected leaves from November are causing localized flooding and blocked sewer grates across Milwaukee.
- Leaf collection was halted by a major Thanksgiving snowstorm; now that the snow has melted, DPW crews have resumed removal.
- Residents are using the MKE Mobile Action app to report issues, while some are manually clearing drains to prevent further flooding.
MILWAUKEE – This winter, Milwaukee is dealing with fall problems. Piles of uncollected leaves and heavy rain made for messy roads on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
Uncollected leaves issue
What we know:
The old piles of leaves are causing localized flooding as they are covering sewer grates. It is an issue Milwaukee residents hoped would be resolved back in November.
FOX6 News has been tracking requests for leaf pickup through the MKE Mobile Action app. You can enter an address and service request, whether it is snow, ice, leaf or sanitation services. On Tuesday, a FOX6 News crew saw dozens of requests for leaf removal and Milwaukee DPW crews cleaning up some of those leaves which have been sitting there for months.
City crews had been tasked back in November with picking up those leaves, but when southeast Wisconsin was hit with a big snowfall around Thanksgiving – and snow became the priority. Now that most of the snow has melted, the focus is back to the leaves.
Residents encouraged to help
Dig deeper:…