MADISON, Tenn. (WTVF) — People in Madison are planning to take matters into their own hands when it comes to cleaning up a polluted culvert.
The Gibson Creek culvert concerning some residents is located near 2nd Avenue and Maple Street.
Resident Charles K. Brown said after Memorial Day, more garbage and empty drinking bottles were left in and around the Gibson Creek culvert. He said he reached out to Metro Water Services to have someone clean-up the piles of trash.
Sonia Allman with Metro Water said typically cleaning-up a river or creek is not the department's responsibility unless the waste affects infrastructure.
In this case, if rainfall were to occur, rising water could block the culvert making the waste a city-responsible issue.
Brown told Newschannel 5 he noticed people who are homeless living in tents or sleeping under trees near the creek.
"I don't have an issue with the homeless, we all could be homeless one day. I would just ask they pick up after themselves and that the city offer a little more help," he said.
After a few phone calls, Metro Water Services told Brown they plan to send someone out to clean the creek on Wednesday.
