As the start of hurricane season nears, Tampa officials are intensifying efforts to improve the city’s stormwater system and avoid the kind of severe flooding experienced during last year’s Hurricane Milton.

Recent heavy rains have helped pinpoint trouble spots, allowing crews to target areas most prone to flooding. Teams are now working six days a week across South Tampa, clearing clogged pipes, ditches, and retention ponds to ensure water can flow freely during future storms.

“We track where the flood calls come in and where we’ve seen repeated issues,” said Brandon Campbell, Director of Tampa Transportation Services. “We’ve also been doing routine maintenance—clearing ditches and pipes—to stay ahead of problems.”

The cleanup effort is massive. In April alone, city workers removed 32 tons of debris—including unusual items like an air mattress. In total, more than 500 tons of material have been cleared from the stormwater system in the last month.

“Sometimes it’s trash, sometimes it’s overgrown vegetation, and sometimes it’s natural debris like fallen trees,” Campbell explained. “All of it can block water flow if left unchecked.”

Residents are taking notice.

“I see them on almost every block, clearing out drains and sewers,” said neighbor Marcie Clayman. “It’s reassuring, though I wish they had started a bit sooner.”

Alongside debris removal, the city is upgrading its 13 stormwater pump stations—critical infrastructure for moving water during major downpours. Failures at these stations played a role in last year’s flooding. To prevent that from happening again, Tampa is deploying portable generators before storms and investing $11 million in permanent backup generators over the next two years.

“As storms approach, we’ll switch pumps to generator power right away, removing one more risk point,” Campbell said.

To speed up repairs, the city has brought in outside contractors, more than doubling its ability to address stormwater cave-ins—areas where the ground collapses around damaged underground pipes.

“With the added contractor help, we’ve doubled our repair capacity for cave-ins over the next few months,” Campbell said. “That way, those issues don’t drag into the peak of the rainy season.”

Despite the progress, both officials and residents remain cautious.

“We’re doing everything possible to be ready,” said Campbell.

Neighbor Joseph Bertoldi agreed: “I’m glad to see them out here. I’m sure their work is making a difference.”

City leaders are also reminding residents to help by properly disposing of trash and yard waste, which can clog drains and worsen flooding.

“Anything that washes into a drain can block the system,” Campbell warned.

With June 1—the official start of hurricane season—just around the corner, Tampa hopes these efforts will help the city ride out whatever storms the summer may bring.

Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Google, & X

(Image credit: Spectrum News/Chris McDonald)

PIE-Sun.com: local St. Pete-Clearwater news