FORT WORTH, Texas — It's the calm before the literal - and figurative - storm for the Fort Worth Water Department.
"We've certainly been prepared, as we always are, when we see heavy rain events coming," said spokeswoman Mary Gugliuzza.
She said a week's worth of predicted rain has crews expecting a messy aftermath.
"For us, the biggest wet weather impacts are on the waste-water side," she explained.
When it rains a lot, rainwater finds its way into small cracks in the sewage lines and causes sanitary sewer overflows. Yes - that's when watered-down sewage bubbles up through manholes. Gugliuzza said the department is bracing for the idea this is likely going to happen.
The City of Fort Worth said it's been increasing capacity to those sewer lines to prevent those overflows, but it's a long, big project. On top of all this, the rain is also impacting water department repairs from February's winter storm.
"We thought we would be done by now, to be honest, but the weather—you cant do street repairs when its wet," Gugliuzza explained.
There were hundreds of water main breaks in February, many of which required road repairs. There are still 19 left, and the rain isn't helping.
"One week, they told me the asphalt plants shut down for three days," Gugliuzza said. "The weather plays a really big role in their operations."
Gugliuzza said residents may also see water main breaks this week, as heavy rain causes soil shifts, and some sewer lines may collapse.
A word to the wise?
"If they see water coming out the manhole, if they see a problem, please let us know. And please do not drive through water in the street," Gugliuzza said.