Flooded Mess at Holt and 10th to Finally Be Fixed?

WORDS AND PHOTO BY LUKE PHILLIPS

The Eternal Flood at the Corner of Holt Ave. and 10th Street.

   Anybody who's lived in Holtville for any amount of time (and has been paying attention), will know that the intersection of Holt Ave. and Tenth Street gets flooded fairly frequently. Recently, however, the intersection has remained flooded almost constantly.

   Holtville City Council member Richard Layton brought up the problem at a council meeting Monday, saying that the construction of the nearby Holtville Gardens apartments and all the landscaping that goes with it have exacerbated the problem by keeping the ground saturated and further preventing proper draining.

   Layton also told the council that one group of concerned citizens has been considering solutions to the problem. Layton reported that local residents Harry and Jim Nelson have been working with County Public Works Yard Supervisor John Burnworth to find a way to fix the problem and have agreed to supply all the necessary equipment and labor if the county is able to supply the materials.

   "They're willing to do all the work and that's commendable," Layton said.

   I also find the civic-mindedness of these men to be commendable and I hope they're able to find a solution to the problem. The gathered storm waters that sit in this intersection and grow stagnant and stinky have been a problem ever since I can remember and it's about time it got fixed. Stagnant water is stinky and gross, but it's also a public health hazard considering that several cases of West Nile Virus have been confirmed in the county this year and the mosquitoes that carry the virus love stagnant puddles.