Residents warn of drainage problems on Casa Grande Avenue ahead of monsoon season

Residents told the City Council that a drainage channel near the intersection of Casa Grande Avenue and Quartzen is not functioning well and may put nearby properties at risk when monsoon storms arrive. "I'm just trying to do a heads up," said Nancy Wood, who gave her address and told the council she observed water backing up on Casa Grande Avenue after a recent half-inch rain. She described an awkward drainage path that flows north to the Santa Cruz branch and said a ditch on a private corner property now appears to be obstructed after vegetation and trees were cut down. "If we had what I've seen, which is sometimes 3 inches of rain in an hour, and everything really gets flooded up, we would really have a problem," Wood said. Barbara Sandust supported Wood's remarks and said she regularly notes soil, vegetation and debris in the same area when she drives by, reinforcing concerns about the ditch's capacity. Wood and Sandust described the drainage network as crossing city property, private property and ADOT rights-of-way, and said maintenance responsibility is unclear. Staff on the dais acknowledged they were hearing the concerns and asked Wood to follow up with city staff so they could investigate and determine maintenance responsibility and possible mitigations before heavier monsoon rains arrive. No formal public works action was taken during the meeting; staff indicated they were listening and would follow up with residents who provided contact information.