BELLAIRE — Service department workers are busy unclogging culverts across the village now that their vacuum truck is repaired.

Workers could be seen on Tuesday near the 48th and Noble streets intersection using the machine to unclog a culvert in an alley. Village Service Superintendent Mark Clark said they had another six to do on their list in other locations across the city.

He noted there is a backlog of culverts to unclog because the village’s vacuum truck had been broken down for several months.

“We’re getting them flowing again,” Clark said of the culverts.

Now that the truck is up and running, people can report blocked culvert drains to the water department, he said, and a work order will be filed. The water department office can be reached at 740-676-6537 or in person at the municipal building on Belmont Street.

“We had to rebuild a culvert at 36th and Monroe streets today,” Clark said, noting the top portion of the structure had collapsed. Some of the culverts still are made of old brick, while others are concrete.

Many culverts in the village and other municipalities likely took an extra beating during this past weekend’s thunderstorms, during which several inches of rain fell during a short amount of time.

To unclog the culverts, a large water hose with a special nozzle is used to burrow into the clog.

Then a large vacuum tube sucks out the debris and water.

Clark noted service workers also have been busy clearing a roadway around the village’s water tank. This will allow an outside company to refurbish the top of the tank that has become too rusty.