Riverbank rainfall, like most of that falling throughout the area, has been pretty decent lately. As recently as weekend before last, much-needed precipitation filled drainage basins, flooded streets and pools of standing water were the rule.

Although the weather forecasters this week are expecting no rain until the weekend, the recent Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend brought lots of precipitation to Riverbank neighborhoods and additional storms swept in during the week as well. On Sunday and Monday of MLK Jr. weekend, rainfall was measured at 1.77 inches. The next day, another .75 inches was added.

The city Public Works Department reported no major problems with flooding or water on the streets, but Patterson Road, near the railroad crossing, filled up with water as usual.

Michael Riddell, Riverbank Public Works Superintendent, said the flooding there happens because the dry wells in the area fill up and overflow. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, there were barricades up there, for the stretch between Roselle and the BNSF railroad tracks, in the morning. The water had drained off by midday.

Riddell also mentioned improvements to be made this year to that section of road.

A project long on the city’s ‘to-do’ list, the intersections at First and Patterson and at Roselle will be improved, adding stoplights that will be coordinated with the rail crossing barriers, and the roadway will be redesigned at the same time. He said he was expecting engineering on the project to begin soon, with its completion anticipated in 2016.

Nearby this past Saturday, a large pool of rainwater remained on the ground between the Silgan Container factory on Patterson and the edge of the rail yard.