First Street Flooded, Again?

Project Incomplete – ‘Pumps 3-4 Out’

  • Officials warn residents to stay away from drainages and arroyos with recent monsoon rains. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency recently released this guidance for Cibola residents. The county is undergoing severe drought, that as of press time is mostly unaffected by the monsoon rains. Even with the rain Cibola has been receiving, it is a very dry county where even a spark can start a massive fire. Courtesy Photo
    Officials warn residents to stay away from drainages and arroyos with recent monsoon rains. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency recently released this guidance for Cibola residents. The county is undergoing severe drought, that as of press time is mostly unaffected by the monsoon rains. Even with the rain Cibola has been receiving, it is a very dry county where even a spark can start a massive fire. Courtesy Photo
  • First Street Flooded, Again?
    First Street Flooded, Again?
  • First Street Flooded, Again?
    First Street Flooded, Again?

    GRANTS, NM – City of Grants administrators were inundated with calls in regard to First Street flooding again on Sunday late afternoon due to heavy rainfall. “After $6 Million in improvements on First Street, why is it still flooding?” was the general question being asked by residents, according to Mayor Erik Garcia.

    On Monday, Garcia explained, “The project is incomplete. The final part of the project is a pump station at the corner of Geis and Jefferson Streets, where the old Knights of Columbus building once sat.”

    According to Mayor Garcia a concrete box Pump Station will be built in the pond. The Station will include three large pumps that will force storm water to the Rio San Jose. Today, we have a pond but no pumps, so when the pond filled with stormwater, there was no place for it to go. “Therefore, it backed up onto First Street.”

    Garcia also explained the night prior to heavy rainfall, on Saturday evening, First Street was clear because the pond hadn’t filled up. “Sunday’s rainfall was much more significant and it came from all three directions at once - north, west and south - resulting in First Street being flooded, again,” Mayor Garcia stated. “If the project was complete with pumps installed, I’m confident First Street would not have flooded, or the impact would not have been as severe.”

    So why wasn’t the pump station built before the roadway?

    Manager Donald Jaramillo explained that during the design phase of First Street project, the City was informed a pump station was going to be necessary due to the lack of slope. “At that point we had all the funding for First Street for design and construction, but not for a pump station. So immediately, we started applying and a year later, in early 2021, we were awarded funds for the necessary pump station which still needed to be designed.”

    The manager added, “Understand, funding moves projects. Reality is today we have a complete roadway while the pump station is not complete. And due to current supply and demand issues, the pumps are out 3-4 months. So, in the meanwhile, will do everything possible to keep from damaging the new infrastructure.”

    Lastly, Mayor Garcia noted that despite First Street flooding on Sunday evening, there were no damages to any of the properties along the roadway. City Manager Jaramillo then stated, “In the event of a heavy rainstorm, like a 100-year storm, First Street will act as a water channel, that is why there are many inlets.”

    “The First Street project is actually a drainage project, per the funding,” the Mayor added. “The end result is a new roadway and utilities, including lighting. However, at the end of the day it was all about drainage.”