Report: Faulty design turned border fence into dam

ShareThis

TUCSON, Ariz. -- A new fence at the border between the U.S. and Mexico has become a dam, flooding towns in both countries and raising concerns that the U.S. government's speedy border enhancements are degrading the environment.The flooding occurred after a 5.2-mile border fence recently constructed along Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument's southern border in southwestern Arizona became a dam in a recent flash flood."What we are seeing graphically at Organ Pipe was predictable -- this is what happens when you circumvent environmental laws," said Robin Silver, co-founder and board member of the Center for Biological Diversity."When you build an impediment across a stream, it becomes a dam. And providing some holes in a fence is a joke."Organ Pipe officials this week issued a report detailing how the 15-foot-high wire mesh fence halted the natural flow of floodwater during a July storm that dumped 1 to 2 inches of rain in 90 minutes around the border towns of Lukeville, Ariz., and Sonoyta, Sonora.Debris piled up against the fence, including in drainage gates designed to prevent flooding, and the 6-foot deep fence foundation stopped subsurface water flow, the report said.As a result, water pooled 7 feet high. That caused water that usually flows north to south across the border in natural drainage washes to flow laterally, the report said.Simply put, the fence did not live up to promises made by officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Border Patrol or Kiewit Western Co., the private company that built the fence for $21.3 million, the report said.The impediment to the flow of water can accelerate erosion, wipe out riparian vegetation and potentially cause lateral shifts in the locations of riverbeds, said Matt Clark, southwest representative of Defenders of Wildlife.The diverted water flows can cause damage to people and manmade structures nearby, too."Whatever is in the path of the redirected water flow will be damaged, whether that's vegetation and natural resources or manmade structures," Clark said. "The power of water is a major force."The furious pace at which Homeland Security officials have been working to install 670 miles of primary fencing and vehicle barriers by the end of the year to meet mandates resulted in a lack of diligence on such issues as water flow, Clark said."It's something that has been anticipated and unfortunately has apparently been ignored in the rush to build this wall," Clark said.The report has been sent to the Border Patrol and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, said Lee Baiza, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument superintendent."I would just like to have them come back and re-evaluate the structure," Baiza said. "They need to come up with a process to be able to remove the debris prior to reaching the fence or the alter the design of the fence to accommodate more flow."The Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with Homeland Security, designed the fence.U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials had not yet seen the report and declined to comment, said spokesman Barry Morrissey, based in Washington, D.C.A Kiewit spokesman said his company couldn't comment on the report without authorization from the Corps of Engineers.It is the second time this year that a border barrier has been blamed for flooding, the other being a wall in Nogales, Ariz., that Mexican officials said caused severe flooding in Nogales, SonoraOrgan Pipe officials have concerns about its happening again. Based on a 60-year record of daily rainfall at Organ Pipe, the amount of rain that fell July 12 occurs once every three years, the report said."It would be like putting your finger on the end of the water hose," Baiza said. "You are restricting the water flow; that is what the fence is doing."(E-mail Brady McCombs at bmccombs(at)azstarnet.com)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)