Carlsbad City Councilors took the first step in applying for federal and state funds to repair more than $1 million dollars in flood damage caused by heavy rains in late June.
City of Carlsbad Deputy City Administrator KC Cass said the resolution assists the City when applying for available relief funds, read a memorandum to City Council.
The City’s declaration came nearly a week after the Eddy County Board of County Commissioners passed a similar resolution and nearly five days after New Mexico Lt. Gov. Howie Morales toured flood damaged water crossings with city officials.
“The City of Carlsbad will begin the assessment of the damage and prepare to apply for relief funding from agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Department of Homeland Security in order to alleviate the costs of repair,” the memo read.
In the memo, Cass said heavy rains on June 29 resulted in flooding through the city’s drainages, including Dark Canyon, Rocky Arroyo, Little McKittrick Draw and Hackberry View Draw.
“This flooding of the major drainages resulted in the inundation and damaging of multiple low-water crossings,” he wrote in the memo.
The estimated cost of damages to the San Jose Boulevard low-water crossing, the Hidalgo Road low-water crossing, and the Callaway Drive low-water crossing varied.
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Scott Hicks, with Smith Engineering in Roswell, said the San Jose Boulevard low water crossing sustained the most damage with an estimated cost of $420,000.
“The road didn’t have any problems,” he said during a visit Friday with Morales. “The sidewalk is closed at San Jose.”
Hicks said the Hidalgo Road crossing sustained damage on the northside of the crossing. Estimated cost of damage was $466,000.
“The structure itself gave way due to velocity of water,” Cass said.
The Callaway Drive low-water crossing had an estimated cost of damage of $264,000.
“Rough estimates right now,” said Hicks.
Cass said heavy rains in the Guadalupe Mountains impacted arroyos and dry channels across Eddy County last month.
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He said waters were well above flood stage at certain points in the drainage system.
“Rocky Arroyo came down with a 12-foot wall of water,” he said during the visit with Morales Friday.
In the City Council memo, Cass said the Lower Tansill Dam area sustained damage along with City parks, personal property and trash and debris deposited along City drainages and the Pecos River area.
He said water levels reached three feet in Carlsbad Veterans Park, near Lower Tansill Dam.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.
