The Town of Anthony has been in the works of planning to put a retention pond next to Lowe’s Mercado (La Feria) between the building and houses on the right with an estimated cost to build of 1.3 mil. They want to create this retention pond due to the flooding on Third Street.
The previous Mayor put this plan into the works instead of repaving 3rd Street from Franklin to Poplar to have better flow to the drainage system. Once TXDot repaved Franklin Street the issue of flooding increased.
Is a Retention Pond good for the Town?
The main purpose of a retention pond (or BMP) is to reduce the destructive force of stormwater. All retention ponds are designed to do these tasks: lower local flood damage, reduce erosion, dilute lawn and street chemicals, absorb heavy metals, and preserve nature. But what are the health and environmental issues?
Retention Ponds Can Cause Health Issues
Since retention ponds help control stormwater runoff, they can often contain harmful water pollutants that come from many different sources. Different types of pollutants are nitrate, phosphates, litter, motor oil, gasoline, fertilizers, pesticides, pet wastes, sediments, and anything else that can float and create algae. One algae is Bluegreen algae known to be in Southern New Mexico and can form blooms that can, but not always make people, their pets, and other animals sick. Other issues are bothersome flying insects. In particular, midges and mosquitoes annoy people, plague livestock or wildlife, and can transmit diseases like West Nile.
Who is responsible for the maintenance of the pond?
Once the developer has completed construction of the roads and drainage system in a neighborhood, who will be responsible for maintaining the neighborhood drainage system, including the stormwater pond? The long-term upkeep and maintenance of the pond will become expensive to keep them functional. Plus the constant fumigation to keep insects and rodents away.
Liability Issues
Drowning
Children are attracted to water, and retention ponds offer ready access. Unlike swimming pools, these basins typically aren’t fenced in.
They can also be deep and have a steep drop-off at the water’s edge since they’re designed for maximum rainwater collection. Muddy bottoms and slippery sides can make it difficult for someone to escape.
Wild Animals
Ponds attract wild animals for them to drink out of or hide in the brush.
Housing
Should the pond ever overflow, neighboring homes may be the first to flood and lawsuits could happen if it is caused by the pond not being maintained. Property values could be brought down if there are too many issues with the pond and the area it is in.
Is there a better solution? YES
Instead of the Town spending taxpayers' money on building a retention pond and maintaining it for years, they need to fix the street, add sidewalks, and have the flow of the water run down towards the drainage system. A study by AECOM includes sidewalks and curbs to bring them up to ADA standards as most sidewalks in Town have been done. Which is an estimated 1.3 mil.
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