County, Army Corps and other agencies coordinate funding strategy for Lagos Wash repairs

County Manager Valdez told the Board of Supervisors on March 18 that county staff met with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the International Boundary and Water Commission and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to discuss short-term repairs and long-term solutions for the Lagos Wash.

Valdez said the meeting focused on how to use a county priority referred to in the meeting as the "$5.95 project" to fix immediate repairs while developing a feasibility concept for a longer-term fix. He also said that if the county cannot use that funding, a federal Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) could offer support; Valdez said that program has a cap of $15,000,000. The discussion included concern for utility infrastructure: portions of an international sewer line that comes from Mexico run under the wash, and the IBWC has an interest in protecting that infrastructure.

Valdez said county staff are coordinating with those agencies and will present a funding and repair strategy to the board for approval in the future. He also mentioned other local infrastructure topics, including roadside cleanup logistics and facility-sharing discussions with the Forest Service, but indicated the Lagos Wash coordination was ongoing and that more detail would come in subsequent meetings.