Westwood DPW: Flash Flood Watch Poses Little Threat

Last week, Westwood endured a state-wide Heat Advisory, with temperatures soaring into the mid-to-high 90s.

Now, the threat isn't from the sun, but from the clouds overhead.

The National Weather Service out of Taunton has issued a Flash Flood Watch for several portions of the state from 10 p.m. this evening through tomorrow afternoon, including parts of Eastern and Western Norfolk County.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to bring in possible torrential downpours of two to three inches per hour tonight into Wednesday.

"A Flash Flood Watch means that rapid flooding of urban areas and small streams is possible," according to the National Weather Service website. "Drivers should be prepared for the possibility of significant flooding of low-lying areas, including underpasses and poor drainage areas."

Luckily, for Westwood residents, the Department of Public Works is on top of it.

"The bottom line is that to have a storm like this right around summer time helps us quite a lot in that we're not expecting to have any problems with flooding, because our basins are cleaned out," said Vicki Vickrey, director of the Westwood DPW.

Westwood currently has about 1,200 catch basins, Vickrey said, where storm water runs through street drains and grates.

"That's usually where we bring the water that runs off the lots and town properties," Vickrey said. "It drains down into the grates, and those drain into the catch basins and then into a pipeline that's designed to protect the streets."

In the event that rain with high-intensity were to come through, or if the basins were clogged, then flooding could be possible. But that also depends more on the time of year in which the storm passes through, Vickrey said.

"If you have a super-high intense rain that is more than what the system's designed for, or if you have clogged basins, then you would have a problem," she said. "But a storm at this time of year, we're not expecting to have a lot of flooding problems."

The basins, Vickrey said, can become filthy and clogged with sticks and leaves during the autumn and winter months. During the summer, however, the basins, which are maintained by the Westwood DPW, are easier to clean, and as such pose less of a flood threat.

"That's why the timing this storm is nice from a flooding perspective," Vickrey said. "We're expecting our basins to flow very well. We should be able to handle this storm."