Today, you read about what a Selma citizen experiences every time there is a heavy rainstorm.

“This problem has been an ongoing on for over five years now and has been reported to both Public Works and the mayor’s office on several occasions,” John Nettles said of the constant flooding into his yard. “Suffice it to say, there is something fundamentally wrong with this scene resulting from the city’s negligence in maintaining its drainage systems.”

What is even more troubling is that Nettles has reported the issues since 2013.

It is now 2019, and the problem still persists.

That is troubling.

His most recent, filed in December of last year, was first addressed by Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) on Dec. 31, 2018. At that time, the department contacted Destiny Caldwell with the City of Selma and requested that the city have personnel investigate the site.

It was later established that the property is in city jurisdiction and that something would be worked on.

According to ADEM reports, this is not an isolated incident.

Other places have been in bad shape, and Ray Hogg and others at the company Hogg Engineering, who serve as engineering consultants said that this problem is all over and there is no one answer to solving it.

According to Hogg, there are two options for repairing the issue – the first would be to dig up and replace every questionable line within the city and the second, which is being preferred by the city, is to insert a lining in the pipes which will act as a buffer against the cracks that are causing the majority of the problems.

The bad weather that causes this problem is also a factor that hinders moving forward.

However, it is arguable that this issue should have already been addressed.

The correct people have been notified of this problem for years, and nothing has been done.

We hope that this issue can be solved soon for Nettles.

Living this way everytime it rains is no way to live.