Ledger Inquirer: It's never too early to get rid of standing water

I know it's just March, but it's never too early to start worrying about mosquitoes.

A Concerned Yet Anonymous Reader wrote to tell me about a standing water problem in an unusual place -- behind a shopping center on Airport Thruway (the spelling of which irritates me to no end).

"The attached photos show a groundwater collection area in an out-of-sight spot behind and just northeast of the Walmart on Airport Thruway," he wrote. "After significant rainfall, this low-lying spot always fills with water that sits for days or even weeks before dissipating. I suppose the problem is due to poor drainage structure, if any, or faulty elevation grading when the paved parking area was originally created."

The reader said, in addition to being an eyesore, it could in the coming months become a critter problem.

"At the very least, it is an unsightly mess full of old tires, abandoned shopping carts and assorted other trash," he said. "Beyond that, it is a welcome breeding ground for mosquitoes and other undesirables."

Undesirables? We frown on profiling here at Inquirer Central. But he none the less hit the nail on the head.

"It clearly is on private property, so the city government probably can do nothing. Perhaps the property owner(s) can be shamed into doing something about this eyesore. Thanks for giving it a look."

I'm (almost) always glad to look into things for a Concerned Reader. But you might not like this week's verdict, which you have already guessed.

I called Pat Biegler at the city's Public Works Department and described the situation.

"That's Walmart's problem, or whoever owns the property," Biegler said. "It's the business' responsibility to address standing water. There's nothing the city would do about that."

Biegler said someone in the city's engineering department likely signed off on the engineering of the drainage for the project before it was built. But once it's built, it's the private property owner's headache.

Update

Speaking of mosquitoes and other undesirables (again, at the risk of profiling) you may recall an Inquirer last year concerning the back yard of a house on Fortson Road. It's a rental property that had in effect a semi-permanent small lake in the back yard. Its ability to produce mosquitoes and its proximity to a strip mall that houses a dance studio irritated the mothers of young ladies learning to dance there.

I drove out there this weekend to check on it, and I'm sad to report two things:

1.) The lake is still there.

2.) The hot doughnuts sign wasn't on at Krispy Kreme.

Seen something that needs attention? Contact me at 706-571-8570 or mowen @ledger-enquirer.com.

This story was originally published March 1, 2015 at 9:51 PM with the headline "Ledger Inquirer: It's never too early to get rid of standing water."