Long-term fixes coming to El Paso County westside

EL PASO, Texas [CBS4] — El Paso County’s Public Works Department will be presenting the updated storm water mitigation program to the County Commissioners Court on Thursday.

The presentation stems from flood control discussions started back in August by County Commissioner Carl Robinson following heavy flooding in the county’s westside.

As CBS4 reported on August 19, County Commissioners began looking for short and long term solutions to address frequently flooded areas.

The Public Works Department has since gone back to update the storm water mitigation program. The Storm Master Plan identified 70 major storm water projects, compared to the 54 identified in 2010.

As for El Paso County’s westside, the presentation shows recurring flood issues in the area.

Some of the solutions listed include four storm water projects, various road reconstruction due to erosion damages, and cleaning of roads due to debris.

In order to address flooding on First Street in Canutillo, the presentation proposes installing a linear catch basin along the street to collect runoff. Once the runoff is collected, a storm water pumping system would be used to discharge the water into the river.

The project is estimated to cost $5-million-dollars, partly funded by FY 2022 and FY 2023 storm water mitigation funds.

Norma Palacios, executive director of the public works department said before construction can begin, County Commissioners must first authorize the 2022 storm water projects.

Palacios added there is no short term solution to address the frequent flooding on First Street in Canutillo, the only solution is to begin the proposed project.

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