Hub City officials prepare for monsoon season

BELEN—As the skies above Valencia County continue to rumble and roar as the monsoon season ramps up, staff with the city of Belen have been preparing for what could come.

Flooding has been a genuine concern over the past couple of decades as excess water has continued to damage property in the Hub City every few years. When bursts of monsoon rains hit hard and fast, the arroyos from the west mesa fill quickly, sending water down into the city, into irrigation ditches that sometimes breach.

Local residents and businesses have continued to be victims of flooding, and Belen Mayor Robert Noblin says while they do not have control of where all the water will flow, the city has been working to mitigate flooding as much as possible.

“One of the big visible things we’ve added is the Aragon Pond, which of course is part of the whole Aragon Road project,” Noblin said. “For several years, we’ve been looking at flood control, always looking how we can better protect our people and their assets.”

The new Aragon Pond, located west of Interstate 25 on the Frontage Road, has two inputs, one from the arroyo that comes in from the west and another at a smaller pond between 10th Street and Cavalier Road, which will be filled with water from the new curb and gutters on Aragon Road.

When and if the smaller pond reaches capacity, the storm water continues east in the gutter system and charge into the system on Main Street.

The mayor said the holding capacity of the Aragon Pond was designed to support enough water for a 200-year storm. Saying we’ve had a couple of 100-year storms in the last decade, Noblin says he is seeing a shift in frequency and there is a clear climate change.

“We’ve really, in my opinion, have done a great job in addressing Aragon Road and the issues in that area because we’re really controlling the flow into the Highline (Canal) to hopefully delay or keep it from breaching,” Noblin said.

Belen City Manager Roseann Peralta said city crews have been working for months to get ready for monsoon season, including restoring the west side pond to its original design, which is located west of Interstate 25 and Eagle Park.

The pond discharges from the Frontage Road into the Eagle Park arroyo and into the pond south east of the community center, which Peralta said has been completely regraded and cleaned out in preparation of the monsoons.

“What has really helped us is our street department has been cleaning out all the drains in town,” Peralta said. “They’ve been making sure all the trash and debris is gone.”

One area that continues to see flooding is at the intersection of Picard and Main Street. Peralta said they are currently in the design stage to replace drainage pipes so the water can flood faster. The city manager says she hopes the work will be completed by next year.

Noblin and Peralta said they are also working with the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District officials to help alleviate problems during the monsoon season.

“We also have to be proactive as a city on these issues, especially during monsoon season,” the mayor said. “As as city, we’ve done a substantial amount with what we’ve been given. We’re better prepared as we have been, and we’re as prepared as we can be.”

Peralta said the city has also been thinking ahead by filling about 2,000 sandbags for residents and business owners. The city has large storage containers around town for people to pick up — at the city’s yard on North Main Street, at Vivian (Little League) Fields, at Fire Station No. 2 on Reinken Avenue and Wisconsin and at the Belen Regional Airport off Camino del Llano. There is a limit of 10 bags per household.

Another area of concern for years has been in and around the area of Camino del Llano. The city has addressed some of the flooding problems with two detention ponds west of Interstate 25, but more needs to be done.

“We’re planning for more relief,” Noblin said. “There has been a plan for a long time, but we need to modify it to fit into the city’s budget and still be effective.”

Both Noblin and Peralta said they are looking forward to working with the newly-established Valencia County Arroyo Flood Control District, but are continuing to plan for what’s best for the city of Belen.

“I would like to see an additional pond on the west side of the freeway that would hold a lot of water and give some relief to that arroyo that dumps into the Highline,” Noblin said.

The city has been planning on a holding pond, the Mae Reid Pond, near the “Belen B,” but several issues, such as a probate case, has delayed it.

“We’re going to see if that project can be moved ... and we’re still a couple of million dollars short of funding that project,” the mayor said.

Peralta did say they are working with the county regarding the movement of dirt on the mesa. She said there are property owners who are pulling dirt and moving the flow of the arroyos.

“We’re working with the county and looking how they are allowing within their side, and hopefully not affecting what’s on our side,” Peralta said. “We work very well with the county.”

Belen City Councilor Rudy Espinoza said that in the past, the city “put their finger in the dike” and try to Band-aide everything.

“These are some of the issues that are hard to anticipate,” he added. “Since the water flows down, the plan was to keep it up as much as possible. I think we’re pretty effective right now. We’re still going to see water hit the streets, but at least we’re slowing it down.”

Espinoza said the city is trying to mitigate the flow of storm water as much as possible, so they can address any flooding in the city proper.

Peralta, Noblin and Espinoza give a lot of credit to Councilor Frank Ortega and former councilor Wayne Gallegos, who has been appointed to the Valencia County Arroyo Flood Control District, who have continued to work and fight for better flood control in the city of Belen.

When and if a flooding situation does occur, Peralta’s No. 1 piece of advice is to:

• Stay home. Emergency crews will be out and about working, assessing damage and helping victims.

• Do not report emergency situations on social media. Call the Valencia Regional Emergency Communications Center at 505-865-9130.

• Contact the city of Belen’s utility department to update your telephone number so you can be contacted via telephone, text and email about emergency situations.