Voters Confirm El Paso Public Service Board Stormwater Fees

The City Council created the stormwater utility in 2007 and passed it over to the Public Service Board, which handles water and sewage services for the region.

The Public Service Board last year began charging a stormwater fee to pay for construction projects, which caused an uproar in the business community.

Protesters gathered over 2,000 signatures to place the issue on the ballot, saying they were concerned over the Public Service Board's lack of openness and accountability to the public and would prefer to have the City Council manage the stormwater utility.

But voters replied that they have confidence in the Public Service Board to handle stormwater events that can turn into destructive floods as occurred in the summer of 2006 when the desert city was hit with 15 inches of rain.

El Paso homes and cars were caught in the flood and mud slide from record-setting storms in July 2006. (Photo by Robert Alvey courtesy FEMA)

As many as 300 homes were destroyed and the flood caused an estimated $100 million in damage.

The ballot results mean the Public Service Board can plan for millions of dollars in flood-control projects.

The City Council approved El Paso's first stormwater master plan at its March 31 meeting. The plan addresses long-standing stormwater system deficiencies that routinely cause flooding in many areas of El Paso.

Nearly 100 capital projects are identified at an estimated cost of $570 million. These improvements will be the basis for significant reductions in flood risk, economic, transportation and safety issues, according to the Public Service Board.

The Public Service Board has selected URS Corporation to develop the master plan. The engineering consulting firm was familiar with El Paso's drainage issues because of previous work done in the city.

Prior to 2006, URS conducted a flood insurance study for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and provided the federal agency with county-wide flood insurance rate maps.

The firm was called back to El Paso to assess the performance of the stormwater system during the 2006 summer storms and coordinate projects to repair the damage that resulted.

In developing the master plan, URS focused on major threats, which the Public Service Board says is a more cost-effective method of addressing flood and drainage problems.

Projects were prioritized based on factors such as risk to property and major roadways, risk associated with debris flow and required maintenance. The recommendation projects are being incorporated into the stormwater capital improvement program.

More than 50 percent of El Paso's flood risk is addressed in the first three years of the capital improvement program. The 15 projects in this phase will reduce flood risk for $1.1 billion in residential and commercial property, according to the Public Service Board.

The board is moving quickly to implement stormwater projects budgeted for fiscal year 2009-10. At its March 25 meeting, the Board selected engineering consultants to plan and design projects that will reduce flooding in the Eastside, Westside, Central and Mission Valley areas.

Four Central El Paso projects will reduce flooding in the Cebada stormwater drainage area, including an area of Interstate 10 that previously flooded during heavy rainfall.

Two projects will increase flood protection in the Mission Valley – the Mesa Drain, between Burgundy Drive and Carolina Drive, and Basin G, which is south of Loop 375 near the U.S. border with Mexico.

Other projects will improve the stormwater system in Central El Paso's Government Hills area, as well as the Van Buren Dam located at Alabama and Harrison; the Eastside's Lee Trevino/Rojas/James Watt area; and the Doniphan Ditch in West El Paso.

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