Live Alligator Found in Storm Drain

Occurred on January 30, 2021 / Clewiston, Florida, USA

: "I work in Civil Engineering and part of that involves stormwater drainage (drainage inlets and pipes.) I was walking my dog one cool fall day in Florida and checked inside the drainage inlet at the corner of a street as I stepped over it. Only this time I had to backtrack as I saw what I thought was an alligator! Sure enough, there was about a 4-6 foot long alligator in the storm drain system. In Florida, our stormwater drainage and freshwater go hand in hand. Our canal systems in south Florida connect bodies of water to each other and help move water in the event of a heavy rainfall event. In the fall and winter, when we see less rainfall and cooler temperatures, fish and amphibians will access these drainage systems via outfall pipes into the canals. The reason behind this is mostly due to the material of the drainage structures and pipes: concrete and aluminum. Both of these will soak up the heat from the sun and radiate it into the sitting water inside the structures and pipes which will help warm the fish and amphibians like turtles and alligators."