KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — With recent heavy rains in Kirksville, residents may wonder where all that water running off the streets goes.
Director of Public Works Adam Dorrell explained that the city’s storm water collection system, which includes inlays, drains, and ditches, is designed to handle a 25-year event.
The water is channeled into several watersheds, eventually reaching the Chariton and Salt rivers.
Dorrell emphasized the importance of residents being mindful of what goes down the drains, as the water ultimately becomes part of the drinking supply.
He noted that the heavy rains have highlighted areas for improvement in the system.
“We are seeing maybe a little bit more stress on our storm water collection system. Those areas we’re noting and keeping track of,” Dorrell said. “We do appreciate citizen input on that because, you know, I try to get out while it’s raining and drive around and take a look at things, but there may be areas that we can’t go see. With this last big rain we had a little over a week ago, folks were sending us pictures of some water backing up, things like that, and that does help us.”
City officials encourage residents to use an online form to report issues such as potholes, poor drainage, and other problems.
The link to the form is available HERE.