In the News - November 2009
Fall leaves mean extra work
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Fall foliage is beautiful - until it has to raked or
removed from the gutters.
Trish Ouei, Benton County extension stormwater educator for the University of
Arkansas Division of Agriculture, has learned that lesson now that she’s moved
into a new house that was unoccupied for a year.
"The new house actually has trees around it," she said. "It is also causing
me additional work on something that I have never had to think about before -
clogged gutters.
"There were a lot of leaves in there from last year and all this rain has
caused the gutters to back up," Ouei said. "Luckily, there was no damage to the
house, just water flowing over the gutters instead of down them."
Keys to remember when clearing out the gutter:
- Be sure the ladder is level and stable.
- Know where power lines are.
- Begin with the downspout and work back. "Make sure that the
water is flowing easily out the downspout to make sure that
there is no clog inside it," she said. "Or all your work will be
for naught."
Ouei said there is another positive side effect of gutter cleaning: "you can
compost the leaf debris. Some of my debris was already compost."
Ouei recommends twice-a-year gutter cleaning to prevent home water damage.
The Cooperative Extension Service is a part of the University of Arkansas
Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons
regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability,
marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
November 6, 2009
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
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