Stormwater management has been a critical concern for many cities in recent years. Stormwater runoff can carry pollutants from parking lots and lawns and other sources of pollution like sediments and nutrients that end up in rivers and streams. These pollutants affect the health of natural habitats and people by contaminating water supplies or causing contamination-related illnesses such as asthma. To help combat this problem, municipalities across the country have turned to stormwater maintenance programs to ensure the optimal performance of their system.

Professional companies like Bay Country Contractors in Alexandria, VA, can also help with stormwater maintenance at your property.

You can take three steps to make sure your system is performing correctly.

1. Keep it Clean

Stormwater systems are designed to handle rain, not leaves and other debris. If you use your system for yard waste disposal or parking lot sweeping, be sure to keep it clean by removing all trash before letting the water flow into the storm drain.

Be sure that any yard waste or other material is removed from areas near your storm drain before allowing water runoff. This helps prevent clogging of inlets and channels inside the pipe network, which can result in flooding during heavy storms.

2. Maintain Vegetation

It’s important to maintain vegetation around your stormwater system. Remember that plants act as sponges for water, soaking it up and helping prevent runoff into the city sewer system or private septic tanks. Vegetation also helps protect soil from erosion by wind and rain, leading to clogging of drainage systems over time.

Keeping soil intact reduces erosion during heavy storms, so ensure not to disrupt planting beds too much when working with this area!

While it makes sense to grow vegetation in other areas of the property, you must prevent plant and weed growth inside the stormwater system. This includes clearing out vegetation inside the drain inlet, grates, and other related areas. It’s also essential to keep silt from entering the system through these openings since it can significantly reduce flow capacity over time.

Don’t allow sediment or pollutants like chemicals to enter storm drains either; be sure to collect any leftover materials before they make their way down your pipes. This will help maintain optimal drainage performance throughout the lifespan of your property.

3. Regular Infrastructure Inspection

Another critical aspect of stormwater maintenance is inspecting your equipment for signs of damage or malfunction. This includes cleaning the inside of catch basins and drain pipes to ensure they don’t become clogged with sediments, vegetation growths, etc. These inspections help determine whether repairs are needed before a system failure occurs and effectively mitigate risks!

The experts at Bay Country Contractors can help ensure the stormwater system installed in your residential or commercial property in Alexandria, VA, continues to perform at an optimal level. We provide full-site maintenance and repair services to our clients. With our team on the watch, you can put aside all property maintenance worries. Get a free estimate from our team now!

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Pavement maintenance is a huge responsibility that can be difficult to manage. Scheduling regular maintenance and promptly calling contractors for repairs are some measures that ensure your pavement stands the test of time. It may seem challenging to find a reliable contractor. However, if you’re persistent enough, you’ll find an ideal paving company like Bay Country Contractors.

During your search, you may come across many scammers too. If you’re a property owner, the last thing you want to do is hire a pavement maintenance contractor who does shoddy work. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. There are four red flags that you should be on alert for when hiring a pavement maintenance contractor:

1) Unlicensed and Uninsured 

Contractors who are unlicensed and uninsured leave you vulnerable to lawsuits. Injuries to a crew member or another third party can result in financial liabilities for you! Contractors with the right insurance coverage and proper license can protect you from liability.

Avoiding red flags when hiring a pavement maintenance contractor is vital for property owners to secure their assets and avoid lawsuits. A licensed and insured pavement maintenance contractor will be covered in the event of an incident that damages another party’s person or property.

2) Unreliable and Inexperienced 

In addition to being uninsured, a pavement maintenance contractor who is not reliable or experienced can damage your property. You don’t want an inexperienced crew that does not have the proper equipment and tools on site. Unreliable contractors mean they may come unprepared for unforeseen circumstances such as inclement weather conditions, which could drive up costs and decrease productivity.

They must have a skilled team with enough experience in asphalt paving services, so you don’t waste money paying people whose inexperience causes unnecessary delays. A professional pavement maintenance contractor will provide quality service from start to finish without any issues.

3) Using Low-Quality Materials

Contractors who use low-quality materials can end up inflicting long-term damage during the maintenance and repair phase. Ensure that the asphalt paving company uses only high-quality materials and components.

Inquire about these factors to avoid any issues during your pavement maintenance project so you don’t have to deal with costly mistakes down the road as they could end up being very expensive in terms of time, money, and injury risks.

You should also inquire about their transportation methods for bringing heavy equipment to the worksite safely since they might need extra vehicles needing additional space on the site.

4) Asking for Upfront Payment

You should never hire a pavement maintenance company that requires full payment before the work is finished (or even started). Make sure only to pay them in stages and not all at once so you can assess their quality of service without spending too much money upfront.

This will also give you time to take note if they are doing things correctly and on schedule.

Bay Country Contractors have earned the reputation of being a reliable asphalt paving contractor who takes expert care of our clients’ pavement needs in Ashburn, VA. So, avoid getting scammed and get a free estimate from the experienced and credible professionals!

Posted in Bay Country Contractors Blog | Comments Off on 4 Red Flags To Watch Out For When Hiring A Pavement Maintenance Contractor