Rio Rancho residents urge city to address repeat flooding in District 1

Several residents of Rio Rancho’s District 1 used the public-comment period of the governing body meeting to press the city for faster action on recurring stormwater flooding that they said has damaged yards and threatened homes.

Richard Witte, a Rio Rancho resident, said he has had “already 3 feet of water in my yard” during recent storms and urged the city to redirect runoff away from residences. He suggested adding culverts and directing water toward existing evaporation ponds or a city-owned parcel at Northern and Ninth Avenue.

Nicole Perea, who said she moved to Rio Rancho about three years ago, described the most recent storm as “the worst” she had seen and said the neighborhood lacks stormwater infrastructure. Aaron Sanchez and Ryan Perea also spoke, urging the council to map stormwater flows and consider ditches, culverts and catch basins. Ryan Perea said, “As our community grows, the responsibility of the city … to maintain and upgrade storm water drainage infrastructure should be at the top of the list.”

Mayor Hall acknowledged the comments and said city engineers are reviewing the issue and have been communicating with residents. No council motion or vote on a study or capital project was recorded during the meeting; staff said they would follow up with residents.

Why it matters: residents described ongoing property impacts and at least one neighborhood report of a death connected to recent flooding in the broader region, prompting calls for concrete mitigation rather than temporary grading. The comments reflect neighborhood-level infrastructure concerns that can affect property, public safety and future development planning.

The city did not set a timetable or identify a specific funding source at the meeting. Residents and the mayor said staff would investigate and communicate next steps to affected households.