As monsoon rains fall on Alamogordo, city officials begin plans to address drainage

Monsoon rains and isolated thunderstorms which struck Alamogordo the last few weeks resulted in flood water and debris clogged roads highlighted the need for local officials to address drainage in the city.

"The rains have created a lot of debris on the roadways," City of Alamogordo Public Works Director Nancy Beshaler said. "My crews have been working to get that cleaned up. As far as I know, there weren’t any damages to city property nor did I hear of any injuries."

Fairgrounds Road between North Florida Avenue and White Sands Boulevard were closed this week as a result of flooding which caused mudslides. Fairgrounds Road was open again as of Aug. 2.

The rains also caused flooding and mudslides on Scenic Drive by New Mexico State University-Alamogordo.

City officials said tackling the issue of drainage would begin with identifying improvements needed.

"We are in the process of hiring a consultant to do a Master Drainage Plan for the city, which will identify and prioritize recommended improvements," Beshaler said. "We will use this Plan to develop drainage projects for funding."

According to the National Weather Service-El Paso on Tuesday, Aug. 2, monsoonal rains are expected throughout the week and into next week with a 20% to 60% chance of precipitation each day in both upper elevations and in the Tularosa Basin. Temperatures are expected to reach into the 90s with lows in the 70s.

The Otero County Sheriff's Office and Lincoln National Forest were contacted for comment about reported damages within their jurisdictions, but they have not yet responded to inquiries as of the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 2.

Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter.

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