City Of El Paso Cracks Down On Overgrown Weeds

By ABC-7’s Andrew Chung

Weeds are an unwanted visitor in anyone’s yard, and this problem has forced the City of El Paso to put its foot down.

While most are pretty good when it comes to their homes, weeds have been allowed to flourish in some vacant lots.

Cecilia Esparza, a supervisor with the City of El Paso’s Code Compliance department, says overgrown weeds can increase the potential for fires.

In addition, she says, the weeds can wreak havoc on allergies in children and also harbor mosquitoes.

Federico Rivera is a city inspector and says the recent dry conditions have been able to slow the growth of the weeds, but once the rains come in, the weeds will grow, so homeowners need to be on guard.

The city will give homeowners seven days to clear weeds that are 12 inches or taller. After that grace period is over, inspectors will issue citations that could be as high as $270.

Esparza says the vacant lots pose another problem because one person may be tempted to dump items such as tires and trash, and then another person follows suit, making the area an illegal dumping site.

City officials aim to prevent this with the crackdown on weeds, and remind people that complying with the code will also keep their wallets from becoming lighter.