Ponding from heavy rains showed Langley it had a drainage problem on Camano Avenue.

The road that serves the Whidbey Island fairgrounds and Langley Middle School was swamped with a large pool of water during a recent downpour. Tendrils from a fir tree tangling in the 12-inch waterline were the root of the problem. Challis Stringer, Langley’s public works director, said the roots were cut out and removed from the pipe. Since then, no pooling issues were noticed on Camano Avenue.

“We were lucky, instead of having to pull out more of the line we were able to wrap the roots around it,” Stringer said.