By James M. Earhart, PH.D.

Historically Laredo developers have viewed, with disdain, the riparian systems (creeks, streams and natural drainage channels) draining water from the city to the river, considering them worthless and an impediment to the maximization of profits. They have failed to see these riparian systems as utilities providing services vital to their business enterprises. Streams are straightened, narrowed to the point that they are difficult to maintain, often lined with concrete and then ceded to the city. Historically the city has allowed this type of behavior because the planning department had not developed strategies for dealing effectively with growth. The current city government, however, appears to be taking a genuine interest in improving the current state of urban development. Also, interest in improving the situation has been expressed by some local developers. Hopefully, actions will soon be taken to remedy current developmental trends. If not, Laredo's riparian resources will be totally destroyed and an important city utility will be seriously compromised.
These riparian systems-composed of creeks, streams and arroyos-are, in fact, an integral part of any communal development and should be considered at least of equal value to surrounding properties. This is the point at which government must enter the picture and, representing all inhabitants of the community, referee the behavior of developers as they construct the structural components of the community. The past history of growth in Laredo indicates clearly that when developers are given loose rein chaos is the result.
Without an adequate drainage system the accumulation of water can make a structure, whether it be a dwelling house or a commercial business, unusable for its intended purpose. Therefore, low-lying properties containing natural drainage are absolutely vital to the proper functioning of structures built at higher elevations and should be assigned a monetary value accordingly. In the development of a community, then, these low-lying properties should be assigned, at minimum, the monetary value of surrounding properties at higher elevation. This means that the owners of such utilitarian properties should receive compensation for their property at a rate equal to that of surrounding properties.
A developer, who owns a parcel of property on a segment of a creek, including the watershed along both sides of the creek, can recoup the value of his bottomland by adjusting the price of his building lots to include the cost of the land required for draining the upland properties. A developer who owns property in upland areas of a watershed, but does not own the low-lying drainage areas servicing his property, must somehow dispose of excess precipitation that cannot be absorbed by his property. Even if no construction is started, certain episodes of precipitation will result in runoff to lower-lying neighboring properties. As structures, including streets, driveways, rooftops etc. are constructed; impervious surface area will increase, resulting in a significant increase of water runoff into the drainage system. The property containing the drainage system is now providing highly valuable service to the upland property owner. Paying for this service should be included in the developer's cost of doing business and reflected in the pricing of lots offered for sale. The cost of proper drainage, therefore, should be prorated over the number and size of building lots created in the watershed served by a particular drainage system. These monies should be paid into a fund from which the referee (i.e. city government) should purchase the drainage property, paying the owner of the drainage property fair market value.
The construction of facilities, including streets, driveways, rooftops etc. result in increased impervious surface area that decreases soil-water surface contact. It is this soil-water contact that normally binds water and decreases downstream flow. Soil-water surface contact may be further reduced by streambed modifications. These changes to the watershed will greatly increase the quantity of water runoff during a particular rainfall episode. This increased flow will result in higher water levels in lower-lying areas than would have been experienced before the impervious materials were installed and streambed modifications were made. Modified upstream conditions will magnify the flooding effects of a particular rainfall episode, resulting in floods that reach higher elevations in lower-lying areas than would have occurred in the pre-modified condition. As new areas are developed upstream from existing developments these facts must be taken into consideration and adjustments made to prevent damage to lower-lying properties.
In Laredo's semi-arid climate, the riparian systems that drain the highlands of the city, not only serve the utilitarian purpose of draining excess precipitation into the Rio Grande, but also are the natural places for green park space to serve the recreational needs of people who inhabit the city. To date, development in Laredo has seriously failed to take this community need into consideration. Historically and currently, Laredo developers have straightened streambeds, bulldozing all vegetation, including brush species and even healthy trees reaching 50 to 70 feet in height. Since, in Laredo, the only perennial green space is associated with the riparian systems, sufficient land should be left in these systems to develop city parks and green spaces to serve the needs of citizens living in different parts of the city. Since the city must maintain drainage facilities left by developers, these drainage systems should be left in a condition that will allow for proper maintenance. Failure of the developer to leave the riparian drainage system in good operating condition will result in increased future maintenance costs to the city, resulting in increased taxes passed on to the citizenry.
On a helicopter trip a year ago I was impressed by just how little green space exists in the city. Laredo's creeks, viewed from the aircraft, appeared as small "ribbons of green" connected to a larger ribbon of green, the Rio Grande that receives rainwater through these tiny tributaries from the surrounding highlands. On my most recent helicopter trip a few weeks ago, I was struck by the naked expanse of bulldozed land that feeds the eastern prong of Manadas Creek. The barren landscape, once a brush covered monte, looked as if hoards of giant plant eating insects had marched through the area leaving only the naked soil in their path. A large strip of the green ribbon was gone and its place was a straightened bulldozed sterile looking ditch designed for efficiently moving water away from the newly created building sites. It worked. During our last rain storm a couple of weeks ago I watched as the rusty, roiling water rushed through that ditch carrying topsoil from the surrounding dozed area and the eroding banks of the man-made gulch on its way to add to the silt and sediment burden of the Rio Grande.
I hope that future development in Laredo can be more environmentally friendly to the citizens of our community. I am encouraged. Bill Skeen, a developer with Madison Interests, Inc. and Chair of the Green Space Preservation subcommittee, explained to me his company's plans for developing property adjacent to a Chacon Creek tributary near Clark Street. As they break ground to construct an apartment complex, their plans are to make very few modifications to the creek. They plan to leave the natural meander of the creek and to make only minor modifications to the streambed, removing obstructions that tend to block stream flow. Stream development as Bill explained it to me would be a great improvement over what has been done in the past. I look forward with anticipation hoping this will be model for other developers to emulate.
The green space subcommittee plans to present an ordinance to the Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee by January 15, 2002. The sooner we can get an enforceable green space preservation ordinance in place, the better.