Curb, gutter program could stem storm damage, costs

In the desert, the term water crisis usually refers to the lack of water. Intermittently, the phrase may mean too much water.

As is usual for the monsoon season, Lake Havasu City is now in the cycle of storm, damage, cleanup. The cleanup amounts to a protracted period of moving rocks, mud and other debris from the roads.

Thats what you get in a city where the washes run across roadways and street curbs and gutters are not the norm.

Is there a better way? Of course. Retrofitting storm drains and routing wash water through underground culverts would be a big step forward but the cost would be daunting.

Even those expensive improvements wouldnt be a perfect solution for a city built on a hillside. The force of water during big storms pushes along rocks and limbs that can clog even huge culverts.

A better first step might well be a cost-sharing curb and sidewalk program similar to those in many other cities.

There are many ways to structure those programs, but they generally involve city government offering residential curb, gutter and sidewalk installation at or near cost. The program can be either bid out to contractors, or handled in house.

For homeowners tired of seeing half of their front yard wash down the street with each heavy rain, the option might be a good one.

Right now, city government doesnt have a formal sidewalk improvement program, though, according to its website, it focuses on areas near schools and in business areas.

What the city does have now is big cleanup costs after storms. It may make sense to apply some of those anticipated costs to a voluntary curb, gutter and sidewalk program.

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Curb, gutter program could stem storm damage, costs