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| A Plan to Drain the Rain from the South Valley Plain |
July 15, 2005 |
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Heather Wilson Pushes Community Plan for South Valley Flood ProblemsMcCoy Dam, South Valley:
What goes up must come down, but on the Mesa in Albuquerque’s South Valley, rain water that ponds in neighborhood streets and yards doesn’t always go all the way down.
Flooding in the area is a problem residents and business owners have dealt with for decades, and help may finally be on the way.
McCoy Dam commands a breath-taking birds-eye view of the South Valley. It was there that Heather joined local leaders to announce her progress in bringing home federal funding for a series of projects that will provide relief for chronic flooding in the area.
Heather has worked on relieving flooding in the area since she was elected in 1998. Yesterday, the U.S. House passed the Water Development Resources Act of 2005, better known as WRDA.
At Wilson’s request, the bill included an authorization for a $19.5 million South Valley Flood Control Project.
BIG PLANS FOR A BIG PROBLEM: Heather and the Army Corps. of Engineers` Peter Doles outline plans for relieving flooding in Albuquerque`s South Valley
The plan to reduce flood damage consists of enlarging approximately 7.5 miles of the existing Isleta, Armijo, and Los Padillas Drains to convey flood flows to the Rio Grande. Additional features of the plan include new access roads and trails, a 25-acre detention pond, and two new flood flow channels, totaling approximately 1.5 miles, to connect the enhanced drains to a discharge point to the Rio Grande.
WORKING TOGETHER
South Valley Flood Reduction Project Parters:The project is a 65%-35% Federal/Local cost share. Under the plan approved in the House through Heather’s efforts, the federal government will pay for $12.6 million while local partners, the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority and the County of Bernalillo will pick up the remaining $6.8 million.
THUMBS UP: Members of the AMAFCA Board of Directors and staff join Heather to celebrate progress in the U.S. House to secure federal funding for South Valley flood relief
Albuquerque Metro Arroyo Flood Control AuthorityDanny Hernandez, South Valley area Director:“Shortly after I was elected, estimates for draining the entire Valley came in at around $200M - a staggering figure for Bernalillo County and our small agency. Soon there was more bad news: The way east-coast bureaucrats measured flooding and cost to benefit ratios were out of scale with South Valley flooding and land values. Unless changes were made in D.C., there would be no Federal assistance.
I appreciate the fact that Heather Wilson and her staff stepped in to work hand-in-hand with Bernalillo County and AMAFCA staff to rescale and redefine federal requirements to help fund these desperately needed drainage projects.
And here we are with the first two Federally funded projects about to be funded and a trunk system that will remove homes from paying flood insurance soon to be a reality.”
U.S. Army Corps. of EngineersPeter Doles, Project Manager“The passage of the Water Resource bill in the House of Representatives is a giant step forward for improvement projects for Albuquerque`s South Valley. The SW Valley Flood Reduction project will help construct a backbone of system improvements to drain the valley flood waters faster and more efficiently.
"The Infrastructure program included in the Bill has provided opportunities to use Federal funds to support the expansion of the valley utility system in the past. The additional authority will insure those type of projects can continue in the future.
"Theses strides are possible with the support of Congresswoman Wilson and the New Mexico delegation."
Mid-Rio Grande Conservancy DistrictSubhas Shah, Chief Engineer:“The Mid-Rio Grande Conservancy District thanks Congresswoman Heather Wilson for her crucial support for this project. This project is a good example of how government agencies can work together for the benefit of all citizens. The District is the owner of most of the facilities that will be used to complete the South Valley reduction project. Therefore, we are pleased our constituents will benefit from this project.”
Tim West, Deputy County Manager and County Commissioner Teresa Cordova“Bernalillo County in partnership with the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority and the Corps of Engineers has produced a drainage plan for the South Valley that improves existing drainage facilities and expands the Isleta, Los Padillas and Armijo Drains with the expectation of reducing flood damage to surrounding properties.
"The South Valley Flood Reduction Project will provide flood reduction on the Valley Floor between Central and Rio Bravo and the Black Mesa Project will provide flood reduction on the Valley Floor between Rio Bravo and the Pueblo of Isleta. These projects together are estimated to be in excess of $27 million and the cost will be shared among the local sponsors and the Federal Government.
"Bernalillo County is very grateful to Congresswoman Wilson and our congressional delegation in supporting these important projects for the South Valley Community."
South Valley Bernalillo County Commissioner Teresa Cordova shares a few words with Rep. Wilson after the announcement of federal plans to help relieve South Valley flooding.
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