Recent Floods In Sun City

Mother Nature Recent floods in the Sun City are an excellent example of "fooling with Mother Nature." Arroyos are creek beds that are usually dry and covered with plants and trees; they also attract wildlife in search of food and shelter. Arroyos are nature's way of providing natural barriers that can prevent flooding by providing channels for water to drain away from populations. The storm that escalated on August 1, 2006, serves as a warning to local politicians and developers who want to develop the arroyos for profit. These floods could have been prevented (Coronado Neighborhood Association, January, 2005).
The city is expanding due to the growth of the Fort Bliss military installation and also because of the flow of Mexico's middle and upper class. Builders are building wherever possible, and the El Paso City Council has allowed it. Critics have warned of this danger for years. "Failure to address these issues could lead to flooding of homes and businesses during a large storm event," John Walton, a hydrologist at the University of Texas at El Paso, wrote in 2004 to top
Congressman Silvestre Reyes stated, "If we don't have the underground drainage, then the only recourse the water has is to go through arroyos, through streets and through neighborhoods. That is totally unacceptable" (KFOX TV, 2006).
The city's ad hoc committee on arroyos has been looking at the Albuquerque and Tucson regulations that protect arroyos and regulate their development. Both cities have extensive policies and regulations for the development of arroyos. The wording in El Paso's land-use plan addresses the issue of protecting arroyos, and a 1997 ordinance calls for their preservation; however, that ordinance has never been enforced (Crowder, D.,