Leaves, leaves, and more leaves
The falling of leaves from many trees is an inevitable part of the fall season. And this annual event can bring quite a negative impact on our drainage facilities. As winter weather sets in about the same time, plenty of rainfall is headed our way. And just like keeping the gutters clean on your house can help avoid a problem, so it works for gutters and ditches alongside the roadways.
For many places in our diverse county, leaves along the side of the roadway and in the ditch are not an issue at all. Large culverts keep flowing well and are not impacted by the effects of some leaves coming down the ditch with the water. But in other areas, especially where curbs and storm drain inlets handle the water, leaves can clog up the drainage features and cause quite a difficulty which sometimes can include flooding and even damage to property or our infrastructure.
To help keep things working as they should, property owners should not put leaves in the road right-of-way as a place to get rid of them. For example, blowing leaves into a drainage ditch or raking leaves out of your yard and into the street causes problems. Although this may seem like the simple solution to getting leaves off your property, plugged culverts and storm drains can cause many problems later. Instead, leaves should be bagged and disposed of at a green waste recycling center or by using another appropriate method.
Returning again for 2023 in certain areas of White City, Jackson County Roads is offering a FREE leaf pickup program for certain homes. Bordered roughly by Hwy 140, Hwy 62, Avenue H and Atlantic Avenue, this program mimics what occurs in the City of Medford and other urban areas in our valley. If you live within this boundary please see our leaf program webpage for important information and please plan to participate in this important program to help our environment.
For an annual, comprehensive list of many recycling options in our area including leaves, please check out the Jackson County Recycling Partnership webpage.
Lastly, since we are on the topic of drainage, if you live along a county road and notice a culvert or drain plugged up (for any reason), please contact us. We want to keep the water flowing as designed!
