City Council: the most important governing body

for determining the quality of life in your city

How can flooding be an act of God when the conditions for flooding were created by environmentally degrading land practices exacted by developers and a City administration and council that looks the other way?

By Dr. Jim Earhart

How much is an individual vote worth in a representative democracy? Are they all equivalent? Hundreds of citizens have supported a nearly two-year attempt to develop a stream buffer ordinance that would create green linear park space along creeks that drain rainwater from the City of Laredo . Although a very small number of citizens have voiced opposition to the ordinance, it has not has yet been presented to the City Council for adoption, and in the interim, the treasured green spaces of Manadas Creek continue to face irreversible degradation in the face of the indifference of a city government that often looks away from the destructive practices of developers.

The ordinance would provide green spaces for linear parks, including nature, hiking, and biking trails. These aesthetic pedestrian thoroughfares would allow citizens to recreate away from the safety hazards of busy, noisy, raucous streets filled with vehicular traffic. These opportunities could encourage increased physical exercise to combat obesity and diabetes -- two very important problems in our community.

The presence of vegetated strips along the banks of streams, coupled with appropriate stormwater management facilities, can accommodate natural flooding and the increased water flow generated by human development. Facilities to deal with excess stormwater are named in the EPA model ordinance presented to the Green Space Preservation Subcommittee almost two years ago. Mr. Judd Gilpin of Gilpin Engineering, a member of the Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee, has proposed other innovative bioretention methods that can deal with storm water -- reducing flooding and making the city greener.

Large numbers of citizens have attended meetings in support of the stream buffer ordinance, written newspaper pieces extolling its virtues, spoken in favor of the ordinance on radio and television. Nearly two years later the ordinance, considerably eviscerated, languishes in the Planning and Zoning Commission while stream devastation continues. The most recent stream destruction event occurred in December on the main trunk of Manadas Creek west of the McPherson Road Bridge . The project architect and a City of Laredo employee both indicated that the best way to handle the flooding problem is to channel the stream all the way to the river. This is exactly what happened to all of Zacate Creek and to other branches of Manadas and Chacon Creeks. This is exactly the destructive development that the stream buffer ordinance seeks to prevent.

This May Laredoans have an opportunity to select representatives for Districts IV, V, VII, and VIII who will speak for all segments of the community in an impartial way. The city council is the most important governing body in determining the quality of life in your community. The city council and mayor select the members of the Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee and the Planning and Zoning Commission. These are the two entities that have thus far dealt with the stream buffer ordinance. The council may use information and recommendations from these two sources, but it ultimately makes the decisions that most influence the quality of your life. The decisions of your elected council are much more important in local issues than decisions by the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These agencies rarely step in the way of city council decisions. Therefore, if you really care about the quality of life in your community, you must make your concerns known to your council representative or to the candidates who are challenging them in the upcoming elections. If you are disturbed by the way development is occurring in Laredo and are competent to serve and live in District IV, V, VII, or VIII you might consider running for the council.

Numerous citizens with whom I have discussed issues believe that the council should:

• Represent all property owners fairly, whether they are small or large. The vast majority of property owners in Laredo own a single home and/or a business.

• Require that the subdivision of larger property tracts into smaller ones be done in such a way as to provide small property owners with parks for recreation, aesthetically pleasing green spaces to enhance their quality of life, and freedom from an abnormal fear of flooding.

• Develop a water conservation plan for Laredo modeled after the one used by the San Antonio Water System. (See Laredo Morning Times articles " Diminishing River : Causes & Cures page 1A" and " Diminishing River : Causes & Cures Continuation page 16A," December 21, 2003.)

• Seize all opportunities to work together with other cities, industry, and agriculture up, down, and across the river to protect quality and to conserve quantity of Río Grande water. (See Laredo Morning Times article "Alliances Needed to Save River," December 22, 2003.) Councilman Johnny Amaya is to be commended for his insight in recognizing that Laredo should interact with other stakeholders in the watershed to meet future city water needs. Although the proposed Río Grande Regional Water Authority, which he supported, will not be perfect, it can be the beginning of the basinwide communication that must occur if future water needs are to be met. (See Laredo Morning Times article "Officials Oppose Water Conservation Proposal," April 30, 2003, http://madmax.lmtonline.com/mainnewsarchives/043003/s2.htm.)

• Work with the developmental community to obtain relief for victims of floods caused by improper developmental practices.

• Exhibit consideration and concern for victims of flood or other bad outcomes of poor developmental planning. Move away from the "Buyer beware" attitude now expressed by some officials.

• Help homebuyers determine if a property is flood prone. This may require a larger force of more qualified city inspectors than Laredo now has.

• Develop an easily accessible database to make prospective homeowners aware of flood prone areas in the community.

• Promote good quality development even if applying a brake on the rate of growth is necessary to insure that good quality is achieved.

• Promote development that conserves green spaces and their important functions.

• Don't blame God for flooding or other problems that have resulted from poor developmental planning by man. Some officials have stated publicly that the flooding problems experienced in Laredo over the past few years are "Acts of God." God gives the rain. Rain is a resource. Men should be good stewards of the resources that God has given. This requires careful planning and action.

(Dr. Jim Earhart may be reached at 721-5392 or jearhart@laredo.edu.)