Leaf Backup Apparent in Clogged Catch Basins
Statement of Alderman Robert J. Bauman
Alderman Bauman cleaning a catch basin. Photo courtesy of Bauman’s office.
Milwaukee has experienced its wettest April on record, and that is surely part of why many streets and neighborhoods have flooded over the last week. But the notion that the botched leaf pickup operations are not directly related to the clogged catch basins around the city is absurd.
The proof is there for everyone to see.
In my own neighborhood, we spent time this weekend cleaning catch basins and clearing debris from the street. What did we find? Large quantities of leaves that had begun turning into mulch because they had been sitting under snow all winter, and then were soaked by the continued rain.
The gaslighting by the administration has to end. The Department of Public Works screwed up, and residents and neighborhoods suffered. What we need is accountability. A promise to do better in the future and a promise to review department decisions and practices.
Anything short of that, and I suspect we’ll find ourselves in the same situation again sooner than later.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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