Santa Fe County declares emergency over area flooding
Aug. 24—Santa Fe County commissioners declared an emergency Tuesday in response to flooding in various areas due to rainstorms brought on by the wettest monsoon the region has seen in years.
The resolution will enable county officials to apply for state and federal funds and to ask the governor to declare an emergency within the county.
"The ongoing monsoonal rains, while a relief in many respects, have raised the specter of flooding throughout Santa Fe County and throughout the state, in particular Rio en Medio," County Manager Greg Shaffer said at special meeting called Tuesday to proclaim the emergency.
Rio en Medio, a neighborhood bordering county woodlands and the Santa Fe National Forest, was hit hard in recent weeks by flooding that has soaked people's properties and turned the narrow river running through their lands into a raging torrent.
The burn scar left by the Medio Fire two years ago has intensified the runoff and has kept a popular forest trail closed to the public.
Since July 26, there have been seven floods in Rio en Medio, all caused by storms generating runoff above the area, said Martin Vigil, the county's assistant fire chief.
"The community has experienced significant debris flows," Vigil said, including from the burn scar. The floodwaters have damaged trees and culverts downstream, he added.
Vigil said his teams have talked to people in 22 homes along the river. He also has worked with state officials to ensure the county is included in a larger statewide emergency declaration.
The next step after that would be getting the federal government to declare New Mexico in a state of emergency because of post-fire flooding, Vigil said.
Shaffer said the emergency status will allow the county to request certain funding from the state and federal governments, expend funds for emergency purposes and maintain a non-county road when there's an immediate threat to public health or safety.
He said he wanted to keep expectations realistic about what the emergency declaration will accomplish, especially with funding for, say, damage done to private property. State and federal authorities oversee those purse strings, he said.
"These aren't silver bullets," Shaffer said. "It doesn't suddenly make materialize millions of dollars for repair of private infrastructure or private property."
Commissioners also approved free disposal of solid flood-related waste on designated days.
A list of items are prohibited such as ammunition, hazardous waste, explosives, animal waste, asbestos, cast-off petroleum products, large car parts and debris from construction and demolition.
County residents with valid permits can dispose of the approved waste at all authorized dumpsites Aug. 26 and 27, as well as Sept. 2 and 3.
Rio en Medio residents can discard their flood-generated trash at a temporary collection site at their neighborhood community center Aug. 29 and Sept. 7.
Two additional drop-off days — Sept. 9 and 10 — may be authorized if the county manager determines more flooding occurred after Sept. 3.
