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| Wilson: Fed Help Coming for Mesa Flood Problems |
July 15, 2005 |
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| Fed/Local Partnership to Drain the Rain on South Valley Plain
McCoy 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.
Congresswoman Heather Wilson, standing beside McCoy Dam overlooking the South Valley, announced today that she’s making progress in the U.S. House getting federal funding approved for a series of projects that will provide relief for chronic flooding in the area. Wilson 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. At Wilson’s request, the bill included an authorization for a $19.5 million South Valley Flood Control Project.
“In the fall of 1998 I went down to the South Valley the day after a huge rain storm to see the damage. For many years, water has pooled in the South Valley after storms until it evaporates, causing lots of damage to property,” said Wilson today. “Because lots of entities are involved — the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy, the City, the County, AMAFCA Isleta Pueblo etc. — there was no master plan to solve the problem.”
“After a lot of wrangling, all of these entities came together under the umbrella of the Army Corps of Engineers — the federal experts on floods and rivers. The Corps was tasked with doing a comprehensive assessment of the flooding and coming up with a plan to deal with it,” continued Wilson on a hot sunny day without a hint of damage-causing rains. “We have a plan, and now we’re well on our way to a solid partnership between local and federal agencies, with the federal government prepared to pick up a significant portion of the tab.”
The plan to reduce flood damages 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.
The project is a 65%-35% Federal/Local cost share. Under the plan approved in the House through Wilson’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.
“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,” said Danny Hernandez, South Valley area Director of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority. “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.”
“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,” said Pete Doles, Project Manager for the Army Corps of Engineers.
“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,” said Tim West, Deputy County Manager for Bernalillo County.
“The Mid-Rio Grande Conservancy District thanks Congresswoman Heather Wilson for her crucial support for this project,” says Subhas Shaw, the Mid-Rio Grande Conservancy District’s Chief Engineer. “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.”
Wilson urged the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee in testimony on March 16 to include several projects in the Water Resource legislation, including the South Valley flooding project.
Wilson said the projects approved in the final House bill, which must now be reconciled with the Senate version, are important to the Southwest because of the demands on the Middle Rio Grande. The legislation would help stretch New Mexico’s share of the Rio Grande and help communities in central New Mexico with costly water infrastructure.
“Water is the lifeblood of the American West and the foundation of our economy,” Wilson said. “The demands on the Middle Rio Grande are immense and growing. The flows of the Middle Rio Grande serve the biggest city in New Mexico, Albuquerque, many smaller cities, six Indian pueblos, a network of agriculture users, many of whom irrigate the same land as their Spanish ancestors did over 4 centuries ago, and the endangered silvery minnow.”
Projects included in the Water Resources Development Act:
Southwest Valley Flood Reduction, $19.5 million
The project includes constructing basins and a pumping station because of flooding from the west mesa runoff. The waters pond in developed areas, because they can’t drain to the Rio Grande. A feasibility study was finished last year, and the effort is currently in the design and engineering phase before construction. The total cost would be authorized at $19.5 million, with a federal share of $12.6 million.
Water development in Bernalillo, Sandoval and Valencia counties, increased to $40 million
The project was already authorized at up to $25 million, but is nearing that cap. The effort includes infrastructure for conservation, wastewater treatment, storm water retention, and other environmental restoration and surface water protection. The estimated total cost could eventually reach $75 million. With this bill, Congress would authorize another $15 million for a total of $40 million so far.
Rio Grande Watershed Management, $15 million
Under a new federal/non-federal 50-50 partnership, Congress would authorize $15 million for watershed management in urban areas, including Wilson’s request for the Rio Grande watershed. The project includes planning and design of small habitat rehabilitation, and collecting and managing long term data for the river.
Southwestern Drought Study, $7 million
Wilson also welcomes and supports a $7 million authorization for a comprehensive drought study for the southwest, emphasizing the Rio Grande basin along with the Colorado River basin and the Great Basin.
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