ABQ Times

Residents of Las Vegas brace for possible floodwaters as the city refuses to open the floodgates, draining runoff into Storrie Lake.

Flood waters along Gallinas Creek in San Miguel County near the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon are fast approaching residents' homes, despite no prevention efforts from the city of Las Vegas. While flooding isn't a new issue faced by residents, occurring as recently as 2013, the city has yet to open its floodgates, which would serve to drain the extra water to Storrie Lake, according to KRQE News.

“We called the city, and the city told us that they were willing to take the casualties because they were not going to open the floodwater gates," Las Vegas resident Judy Noble told KRQE News. "These are floodwater gates, mind you, that are supposed to be open for a flood." 

Throughout the area, residents are facing water mere feet from their front doors that continues to rise, with many families using sandbags or cutting down trees. But the city explained that diverting the water brings with it the fear of contaminating the river with debris from recent fires, which serves as the final resource of water for about 14,000 people.

“Filtering the water once it’s in the lake after it’s black, it would be somewhat difficult," Harold Garcia, chairman of the county commission, told KRQE News. "It could compromise the drinking water for the city of Las Vegas." 

Back in 2013, Las Vegas had experienced a similar flood due to the fact that the city had welded the floodgates shut. But the mayor asserts that the water is not currently at the 2013 levels and the situation is subject to change, which could prompt the city to open the floodgates after all.

“It’s disheartening that the city didn’t warn its constituents, who support them to do their job to the best of their ability, to save us and to help us and to keep us protected; they didn’t even have the decency to notify people," Noble told KRQE News. "Because people were under the understanding that those gates would be open."