San Luis Obispo has a new stormwater truck just in time for the rainy season. The city received the truck in December and has since been using it for flood prevention. They requested it more than a year ago.
Chris Lehman is the waterwater deputy director for the city’s utilities department. He says the truck helps prevent floods by clearing blockages in storm drains.
“The primary purpose of this truck is to remove all that debris that accumulates over time, and it protects the creek, it protects the residents and businesses from flooding,” Lehman said.
The stormwater truck works like a vacuum. A team of two people place a large tube inside a drain inlet that sucks up all the debris, like trash and leaf litter. The waste is then stored in its 15,000-gallon holding tank.
According to Lehman, the vehicle stops debris from polluting the creeks that stormwater flows into. He says the city will use it during the anticipated storms this season.
