Why does it flood in El Paso?

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The Franklin Mountains are one of the beautiful sights that makes El Paso unique but it's also the cause of why some areas see flooding more than others.

Denise Parra, Public affairs officer for El Paso Water says "when rain comes down, especially those heavy rain events, all of that rain brings down debris. And we do have several storm water ponds and dams, located in those areas, like in Central El Paso, closer to the mountain."

El Paso Water's storm water crew works 24/7 to maintain infrastructure "it really is a year long process to clear our ponds, our dams, our channels, our canals, our our infrastructure that we manage," Parra said.

Anthony Brown senior forecaster with the National Weather service El Paso says "when there is wind from the East, the East side of the city gets some enhancement with winds going up mountain, with the West side having winds go down the Mountain. During the Monsoon our winds are usually from the East, so the Northeast, along the Franklins will see the enhancement."

Another issue that contributes to drains clogging is illegal dumping. Parra said "some people tend to use our infrastructure as a dumping site, and that's not what it's meant for. Our storm water system is very important and it's very crucial infrastructure. We don't see a lot of rain in El Paso, but when we do, we know that it can get really bad."

Parra says if you see someone illegally dumping you can take down the license plate, call 311 or law enforcement. You can also visit El Paso Water.