Westside Development Draws Concerns Over Drainage
EL PASO, TX. – The Montecillo Project is taking shape just off Mesa street, near Castellano.
There is an arroyo in that area and that raises concerns about drainage. Some say thedevelopment is a huge problem just waiting to happen. But others say, if it’s done right, there shouldn’t be any issues at all with drainage.
Over a month ago, developers of the project began taking downa mountain, nearly 1 million cubic yards of earth. During the next six months,the dirt will be pushed into the area below the mountain to provide a base for the development. An estimated 200 upper-end homes will be built, new businesses are expected to go in along Mesa Street and eventually a new school will spring up as well.
The concern is that the development is being built too close to the arroyo.ABC-7 spokewith the city’s Flood Plain Administrator, Alan Shubert, about this issuewhosaidhedoesn’tforesee a problem as long as the developer,EPT Land Communities, follows the specifications for the project.
“We’re not going to allow them to create a problem … The standards are that they have to maintain drainage, the drainage that exists they cannot impede.”
Officials fromEPT Land Communities said they have been careful to file all the proper paperwork and they have no reason to believe they will create a problem. Others, however, are not convinced.
“There is a huge volume of water and the velocity is tremendous that goes through this arroyo and my only concern is the safety of the residents and the students that will be going to the school here, that this flow patch will be large enough to handle the volume of water that comes through here,” said Charlie Wakeem, a concerned resident.
But Dr. Walton disagreed, saying “If they were anywhere within the flow path, they would have been washed to the river.” But Wakeem said during Storm 2006, the water flowed through the area like a train.”I was on Interstate-10, right where this arroyo goes underneath andI have never seen so much water with so much velocity flow anywhere through this city”
So is this another disaster waiting to happen? “I have to believe that this was probably designed properly and if so, we should have no problem with flooding from it,” Walton concluded.EPT Land Communities, tells ABC-7they have worked closely with the city and they have no reason to believe that they are creating a problem in this area.
