Last modified: Friday, November 6, 2009 12:02 PM CST

Leaf piles create hazards, official says

By JIM GAINES, The Daily News, jgaines@bgdailynews.com

Leaf pickup crews are out on city streets, removing piles of fallen foliage in front of houses, but some residents’ attempts to make their jobs easier are creating a conundrum for the city.

The city’s long-established guidelines say leaves are to be piled at curbside, on public right-of-way, but not on the street itself or in the gutter. They can’t block sidewalks, parked cars, fire hydrants, mailboxes or guy wires.

Many residents, however, are piling leaves on the street or spilling over the curbs into the gutter. That does make it a bit easier for crews to reach them, but creates other problems, Public Works Director Emmett Wood said.

Leaf piles can force drivers into the center of the street, causing a traffic hazard. The leaf-pickup vacuum hoses aren’t powerful enough to suck up leaves stuck to the street, so the residue can make pavement slippery, he said.

And seasonal rain can wash lots of leaves into the city’s storm drain system, which affects local groundwater quality, Wood said. Federal water quality standards demand that leaves be kept out of storm drains.

Normally, if a homeowner left leaves or other debris piled in the street, Public Works would leave them a notice urging them to correct the violation, Wood said. But with dozens of houses on each street leaving leaf piles past the curb, there’s no way to notify everyone - and certainly no way to enforce the rules when they’re flouted, he said.

Leaves are only picked up from in front of private residences within the city, not businesses or trailer parks, according to the city’s guidelines.

Pickup started Monday and will continue until Dec. 31, with breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas. From Jan. 4 through 29, the city will pick up leaves on request, called in to 393-3333.

The city is divided into 10 work zones, within which crews will work for two consecutive days. If they’re not finished with a zone during that time, crews will move on to the next zone and backtrack as time permits, according to the leaf collection schedule.

Scott Waste Services will also pick up bagged leaves on designated garbage collection days.

Guidelines and pickup times can be found at www.bgky.org/ publicworks/leafpickup/index.php.