Editor,

It’s been a rough summer and fall for a lot of East end county residents. Although the normal rainfall is 6.97” in August, we received almost that whole amount of the 15th of August.

Drainage ditches filled to capacity, and in some cases overflowed, causing flooding over the roadways. Septic tanks stopped working, gardens were flooded, and some folks needed pallets to get to their front doors. For the remainder of the month there were 3 or 4 insignificant rain events, but still the drainage ditches were not draining.

Members of the County Commission, Engineers, and others came to survey. The county scooper came out and made a cursory attempt to clean out some ditches.

All to no avail, as water was not draining from the ditches. Mosquitoes breeding grounds were everywhere.

September had a normal 9 days of rainfall, none of which were significant or broke any records, yet the drainage ditches were holding water rather than draining. More visits by government officials didn’t make the water flow. October, even less rainfall below the normal of 4.33” for the month, but you guessed it — water that should have drained hasn’t. All were hoping for a Halloween treat of empty drainage ditches, but when November dawned, water we saw and still see today. The earlier promises of relief by our county officials remain just that, unspoken of plans of action.

Should we throw bales of tea in our ditches, rather than the harbor like our forefathers? It may not start a war, but it just might suck up some water and keep the mosquitoes down. One of many disgruntled East End Residents,

Bruce A. McCartney, Trade Hill Community