At my request, the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners will hold a work session at 9 a.m. on Sept. 15 to discuss drainage on the East Mesa, and Doña Ana County ’s ongoing efforts to control it with maximum results and minimal adverse impact on the residents and businesses in the area. It’s a complicated task, and I believe it merits further discussion and public input before we proceed.

I requested the work session shortly after I hosted an Aug. 13 public meeting at Oñate High School to discuss the proposed Moongate Stormwater Diversion Channel, which is one part of a much larger stormwater diversion and containment strategy designed to help protect property on the East Mesa from flooding during heavy seasonal rains. The community’s adverse reaction to the Moongate proposal was strong and unequivocal.

While no one argues that drainage is a serious issue on the East Mesa , there is a lot of dissention about how – or whether – additional steps should be taken to address it proactively. For more than 15 years, the Doña Ana County Flood Commission and Public Works Department have worked together to design and obtain funding for a multi-faceted drainage-interception and channeling system that would move water away from populated areas and allow it to flow to Isaac’s Lake , where it has traditionally accumulated during heavy rains.

Fast growth on the East Mesa has complicated the planning, because many areas of land that were available 15 years ago for the diversion channels are now developed. Construction of the Moongate channel, for instance, would have required purchase of several private properties for construction.

Further complicating the matter is the proliferation of private roads on the East Mesa that act as drainage channels due to development in and around arroyos that used to drain the water to Isaac’s Lake. Doña Ana County cannot legally maintain or improve these private roads, which complicates the goals of controlling drainage.

Some residents pointed out at the Aug. 13 meeting that the Moongate channel project would not address flooding issues along Weisner Road . They’re right. It wasn’t designed for that purpose. It was designed as part of a system of projects that would move water to the north before allowing it to flow to Isaac’s Lake .

Should we move forward with this system of projects? That’s the big question, and its answer grows more complicated by the ongoing growth of the East Mesa and the accompanying proliferation of private roads to support the development.

I don’t have the answers, but I believe we must set aside 15-year-old plans and engage in a new discussion about what to do and in what scope and in what timeframe to address an issue that is not going to go away by itself. I am hopeful that the Sept. 15 work session will be well-attended and productive. I am hopeful it will be a discussion about realistic expectations and workable solutions for the long term.