Weekly Update 13

November 22, 2024

Hello, everyone.

Today’s newsletter will address a topic that isn’t as visible to residents as flower-filled squares or freshly painted roads, which is why some tend to overlook it and not invest in it. But all it takes is a rainy day like the one we had this past Tuesday—and all the residents will be talking about nothing else and asking what happened.

The topic is… drainage.

To write this newsletter, I spoke with former operations staff and with Ziv Deshe, who invested a great deal of effort during his term in the area of drainage and, unfortunately, did not receive the residents’ appreciation for it (because drainage isn’t visible). We did indeed experience an extreme rain event, but I believe that this week those same residents learned the hard way to appreciate the importance of preparatory work and to understand that investment in infrastructure in general—and drainage infrastructure in particular—is essential. Even in 2022 and 2023, there were heavy rain days, yet no flooding or road closures were observed. Food for thought.

Drainage management requires comprehensive planning, ongoing operational and engineering work, alongside investment in and construction of infrastructure. I’ll start by explaining the first aspect of ongoing operational work in the field—work that requires adequate funding throughout the year.

• Intensive cleaning, including flushing drainage systems, cleaning catch basins, maintaining drainage channels, and constructing physical infrastructure. Pipe and drain cleaning is typically performed as part of winter preparations once a year, usually starting in August, and at the end of winter in preparation for the summer season. During the winter, additional cleanings are carried out based on weather forecasts and preparations for extreme weather conditions.
• Color-coding of drains in low-lying areas. This marking, which was previously done only in Zichron Ya’acov, is intended to highlight dangerous areas for operations staff and contractors, requiring everyone to inspect them regularly and periodically, as well as to prevent parking over drain openings.
• Preparation of stacks of sandbags, which are filled with sand and, in the event of expected rainfall, are placed to help block, divert, and redirect water away from low-lying areas. Sandbags are placed only at critical points (on HaGat Street, for example) to prevent powerful floodwaters from reaching private properties. This was done in previous years and prevented significant damage. This year, I did not see any such sandbags in place.
• Heavy equipment is kept on night standby and is quickly deployed to remove loose sand and rocks, clear ditches, and remove hazards.
• During a rain event, the street sweepers regularly passed over drainage openings where the grates required cleaning. Additionally, in areas prone to flooding, such as Hashmura Square and others, an operations/supervision team was deployed according to a plan with equipment to keep drainage openings clear, ensuring optimal flow.
• Involving engineering departments in the plan and adding storm drains in new areas, such as new neighborhoods that impact older ones.

Another key approach to addressing drainage is the construction of drainage infrastructure. In the past, the source of funding for these projects was the Betterment Fund. Today, following the enactment of by-laws regarding paving and drainage during the previous term, there is a special fund whose monies are earmarked for the development of drainage and sewer systems. These funds do not come from the current budget.

During the previous term, comprehensive infrastructure work related to drainage was carried out in the following locations, and here are a few examples: Keren HaYesod Street, open water channels for runoff collection on Hadarim Street, the Golan Hazan field, the neighborhood opposite the winery, drainage improvements on Derech Sarah and at the HaAliyah Street intersection, HaShtavonit Street, and more.

During the previous term, resources were allocated for planning drainage improvements on additional streets, such as Geulim, Tirosh, and Apricot. Now we must implement this plan by approving budgets in accordance with previously defined plans and expediting implementation.

During the current term as well, we as the council have managed to approve new budget allocations or increase existing ones related to drainage works.

In the Tazmoret neighborhood, a substantial budget was approved during the previous term to expand the drainage system in the new neighborhood, so that out of the total development budget for the neighborhood of 13 million NIS, millions are allocated for drainage.

On Rav Uziel Street, we approved a new budget for drainage works (planning and execution).

To the best of my knowledge, the implementation of these two plans, for which we have approved a budget, has not yet begun.

I am once again asking that you refer your fellow Zichron residents and add them to my mailing list by sending me a message. Last week, following my request, only 4 people were added…

Yours,

Limor Zar Gutman

The “Lema’an HaMoshava” Party