ST. LOUIS – Beginning Tuesday evening, the St. Louis region could be in for heavy rain and a threat of flash flooding.

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer district spent Tuesday cleaning out street inlets and sewers, making sure all that rain has somewhere to go.

“We got 10 to 12 crews on any given day. They have been cleaning inlets in our service area. Debris, trash, leaves, this sort of thing,” said Sean Stone, an MSD spokesman. “Routine go around, clean that stuff out there, make sure they are open as possible when it rains.”

MSD works year-round to ensure the sewer system is ready. According to MSD, storms will wash yard waste, leaves, trash, and branches into storm drains, clogging the drains so they don’t work efficiently.

Our meteorologists are forecasting heavy rain to move in late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. Flash flooding could be possible, especially in Missouri
after last month’s major flooding near the River Des Peres. With extreme rainfall possible, MSD has additional crews on standby in the event extra personnel are needed to respond to calls.

“We prepare for storms by doing what we do all day and every day – constantly inspecting and maintaining everything in our infrastructure,” Stone said. “We are also doubling our number of crew numbers to help and in the customer service area.”

MSD is not a flood authority, but encourages residents to make sure that drainage ays are clear of any debris.