El Paso Water: Freeway water retention ponds will be ready by Monsoon
The El Paso Stormwater Utility is promising to finish a huge water retention pond project along I-10 in the next two months – just in time for the monsoon.
The massive Gateway Retention Ponds, which are almost complete, are located along the access roads on Interstate 10 between the Piedras and Copia street exits.
The $15 million project has been going on for five years.
It was 11 years ago during Storm 2006 when flooding on I-10 reached a point where it was obvious something had to be done.
El Paso Water sent ABC-7 drone video of the massive stormwater detention ponds being finished up along I-10.
“The goal was to finish the project by the summer time in time for monsoon and we are on track for that,” said Gilbert Trejo, Chief Technical Officer for El Paso Water.
Trejo is confident enough to say a “typical” rain event should no longer flood I-10. “There was at least one rain event last year that we’ve tracked. With the amount of rain it dropped in that area, it would have flooded the interstate and it captured it,” he said.
A 60-inch diameter pipe will connect the two massive ponding areas underneath Interstate 10. Together they will hold nearly 50 million gallons of water, enough to fill 75 Olympic-size swimming pools.
“That’s a lot of water. That’s a lot of rain,” said Sebastian Lara, who has lived in the neighborhood for his entire life. “It’s been a problem for years, but I think they finally fixed it.”
Larissa Solis, who works at Custom Glass and Cabinets, had to move her business to make way for the ponds. She relocated right next to one of the detention ponds, so she told ABC-7 she hopes it works.
“These ponding areas are much needed,” said Elias “Bambino” Rivero, who has worked in the area for more than 20 years. “Kind of late in coming, but better late than never I guess. It should solve a lot of the problems. I guess we’ll see the first big rain we get. Monsoons are coming.”
The multi-phased project is assisted by ponds upstream and dam improvements already completed by El Paso Water. If the ponds happen to overflow, Trejo said they are designed to send water toward the new Magnolia Pump Station at Piedras.
