School planners work to avoid arroyo dangers

As Michael Cafaro looked at the vast piece of desert that sits behind his far West El Paso home, he imagined the new roads and schools that are being planned to take the place of the view.

[Bummer]

When you buy a home in El Paso with nothing but desert behind it, you should assume that eventually some one will build something there sooner or later... I would not want this school, or even homes behind my house, but as the westside (and the eastside) continue to grow, you had to understand that construction was not just going to stop with your street being the last one built...

Sorry...

[Gsans]

Great! Let's start developing in these areas (as we have before) and let the rain water damage the surrounding area and then we will charge the residents to fix it by taxing them. We are all chums and eventually wll conform.

[Seriously]

YISD built desertaire elementary next to the ponding area from the levee behind Stonebridge addition which is built practially on top of the levee..........in 2006 the ponding area reached the 12 ft level nearest the school and 14 ft a block down......I would have been very concerned about my children at that school or in the park that is on the edge of the ponding area. Even if the children were safe from the water the mosquitos were horrendous within 72 hours.

[chief22]

I have a novel Idea, don't build in the drainage ditches

[billw]

Mr Cafaro...do your homework, here's a good idea, don't take a realtors word for anything. You, me and anyone else can go and look up what the city has planned for a piece of land, it's public record.

[Concern]

Mr. Cafaro, this is El Paso. That is why we all are having this "stormwater fee" rammed down our throats. Because the city and the county either don't have any rules for the builders to follow, or they make exceptions. The last storm, here in El Paso, was NOT because the citizens did something wrong, which they are now are being "taxed" for, but because the builders, TXDOT, the city and county are at fault. They are the ones that failed to put in place, laws, procedures, rules, enforcement, etc. Like these schools - they NEED to build practically in the ARROYO. I wonder who owned this piece of land. They have perfected the "manipulation" of the public. And so life goes on in El Paso ...

[Anonymous in El Paso]

WOW!!! Here we go again. This "save the arroyo" movement is totally disingenuous.

I live not too far from this arroyo and I have found in my nearby arroyo an automatic transmission, spent shell casings, and a washer/ dryer (and I could go on and on about the other goody's that I've found)

If you're so into protecting the arroyo's then stop dumping in them.

What happened on August 1st, 2006 was not a normal weather pattern. We had over 12 inches of rain in 12 hours. Normally in a year we get 8 inches of rain. Weather events happen and as human beings we have to adapt to these situations and we do the best we can.

Have we forgotten about August 1st, 2002 when downtown El Paso was flooded with 2 feet of water? Where's the outrage when that happened?

I don't remember anyone complaining that we should abandon downtown.