A Few Lessons after the Deep Freeze of 2011

BREAKING NEWS: The Transmountain West Environmental Assessment was determined Satisfactory for
Further Processing (SFP) late Friday afternoon by the FHWA (Federal Highway Administration). This
morning TxDOT staff delivered a CD with an electronic copy of the document to Irene Ramirez of City of
El Paso staff, per instructions from City Manager Wilson. The electronic copy of the EA will be posted on
City and TxDOT web sites today. A public hearing will be scheduled within the next 30 days. Public
comment period has begun and will run until 10 days after the public hearing. As soon as
elpasonaturally has more information, you will know.

Last Wednesday I said that you would see another e-letter tomorrow meaning Thursday. My bad. But I
will start sending these out more frequently. Perhaps I had better think of going commercial. Anyway . . .

Let’s talk a moment about what the lessons and the consequences of the Deep Freeze of 2011 mean in
the context of keeping the Scenic Transmountain Corridor as Natural Open Space in perpetuity as well as
being better managers of water and land. A reader who is working on her Masters in Public Health at
UTEP shared this insight:

“Perhaps this is a good time for us to point out that El Paso growth should not continue in a
horizontal manner as they are proposing through the [Westside Master Plan] especially when
we rely on a water source that is not going to last forever. With the a bit of snow we all saw
what occurred and how many institutions had to close their doors due to energy or water issues
– if anything El Paso should be growing up (i.e., vertically) so that we are not having to pump to
spread out reaches of the city. I don’t know what you think, but with this whole snow issue so
fresh in everyone’s mind, maybe this would be good time to point this out.”

We are all appreciative and grateful to all our utility workers who toiled in the worst of weather to get
our services up and running again. Nevertheless, the low reservoirs, faulty telemetry and other sensors,
thousands of broken, cracked or leaking backflow preventers, pipes and major plumbing not to mention
the sense of near panic at EPWU/PSB “should be the beginning of a reassessment of how we build here
and what standards the homebuilders apply . . . Something is terribly wrong here. . . and it will be
repeated if we don't learn from this disaster.” And, it’s not just the builders, it’s the crisis management
policy at the water and other utilities – the policy as well as the pipes.

One much-overlooked strategies is rainwater harvesting. A former Water Specialist for the Texas Water
Resources Institute & TX Extension sardonically observes:

“Boy, what shock for a large city - no water!! Especially one out in the desert sharing water
resources with New Mexico and a huge Mexican city across the river – Juarez. You would think
logically that El Paso would have been an easy sell to put in rainwater harvesting (RWH) all over
the city – homes, businesses, public buildings, capturing stormwater, etc.

“No, it was the hardest location in my region – not at all like Tucson, Santa Fe or even the small
West Texas towns surrounding it. Strange – like water grew on trees and they had no problems
 in the future? I could hardly even give away demonstration sites! Too simple and easy I guess,
not glamorous like desalination, pipelines or buying from other counties, etc. Boy, if a few
hundred of the large 30,000 gallon RWH tanks such as the one at McDonald Observatory had
been placed around EP that would have helped a lot in an emergency situation. Could be set up
to purify for drinking or just boiling.

“Homes could have their own backup emergency supply for boiling, flushing, pets. Same for
businesses and schools. Ahhh, now we know the worth of water when the well goes dry. Well,
better late than never!”

Low impact development/green infrastructure should become the mantra at PSB and City Planning.

In an email to City Council Representative, Emma Acosta, Dr. R. B. Brown recommended:

1. Stricter control of developers to insure higher quality housing.

2. Promotion of "fill ins" to increase population density and reduce the cost of extending the
infrastructure.

3. Developments that are communities and not just sprawls.

And last but not least,

4. Greater protection for open spaces.

Hopefully Plan El Paso will recommend a new Comprehensive Plan that responds to many of these
suggestions. Another big question: marketability of housing products. Developers need to know that, if
they build something, people will come and buy.

As far as the petitions to preserve the Scenic Transmountain Corridor are going, I don’t have a new
count. I’m still waiting for more pages to be mailed to me or brought by my home. I’m pretty sure that
we are at or around 1547 for one petition and near that for the other. We want to be several hundred
signatures over for both of them. We had thought about submitting tomorrow morning. However, we
will wait one more week. TxDOT has just come in with their EA. The second petition mentioning
roadways has become very important in light of the newly released Transmountain Traffic Impact
Analysis. The petitions are getting publicity.

Again, lots to talk about so better to do so with more frequent e-letters. Before going just a few news
items:

Check out the great new family camping workshops coming to the Franklin Mountains State Park, March
5 and 6. Call 915.566.6441 for more information or email Cesar Mendez
Cesar.Mendez@tpwd.state.tx.us or Erika Rubio Erika.Rubio@tpwd.state.tx.us. More about Texas
Outdoor Family here.

You can really help to support the Franklin Mountains State Park by purchasing a Texas State Parks Pass.
Call 566-6441 for information or to purchase your pass. In many places you can access FMSP without
paying an entrance fee. That is why the Park Pass is so beneficial. You can email Erika at the address
above and let her know your Park Pass number and date and place of your hike. Those kind of statistics
helps our Park with funding especially as it’s being reported that the Wyler Aerial Tramway, part of the
Park, is on the Texas legislative chopping block.

Learn more about the Manso, Suma, Piro, and Tigua Indians who, over four centuries ago, founded the
missions and pueblos that evolved into today’s sister cities, El Paso-Ciudad Juárez. The El Paso Museum
of Archaeology will begin a new exhibit Settlement Legacy: Native Americans of the Pass of the North
beginning February 20 and running through August 14. Admission is free. Donations are welcome. There
are also several free programs in conjunction with the exhibit.

Finally, for a lighter look at the “Arctic Freeze” of 2011, go here.

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