Mayor’s Press Release – Heavy Rain Storm Suggestions

Heavy Rain Storm Suggestions

July 16, 2024–Olean—In the past several years the frequency and intensity of storms has increased.   When the storm water system is overloaded, as we experienced with the 4.5-inch rain storm on June 19, 2024, the system has the potential to discharge into the river.  Otherwise this would cause backups into resident’s homes.

The City of Olean has been working on this issue and has plans to further address the problem in the near future.

During a storm event with heavy rains residents can help reduce the overall volume in the sewer infrastructure by doing the following until the storm passes:

  1. Hold off on flushing toilets;
  2. Hold off on showering;
  3. Hold off on doing laundry or washing dishes.