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Buckskin Valley residents press La Paz County for faster cleanup after torrential rain
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Summary
Residents of Buckskin Valley told the La Paz County Board of Supervisors the county left street-cleaning work unfinished after a recent storm, leaving 3–4 inches of silt on roads and plugged drains; county officials said crews prioritized the area and that full cleanup may take weeks pending new equipment.
Mark Durham, a Buckskin Valley resident, told the La Paz County Board of Supervisors during call to the public that a recent heavy rain carried "a lot of mud and rock off the hills" and left "3 to 4 inches of dust silt" on local streets that the county’s cleanup crews left before finishing. "We're asking for cleanup of the streets ... we're not asking for perfectly clean streets," Durham said.
Jeff Daniel, a Holiday Harbor homeowner and the community's HOA president, said several homeowners reported damage and asked whether the county keeps a schedule for cleaning drains; he said one homeowner had "3 feet" of mud in his house.
Chair (Board of Supervisors) responded that La Paz County's public works department responded immediately after the storm and prioritized Buckskin Valley because of severe impacts. "I was very proud of our public works department this past weekend," the chair said, adding that crews manage about "250 miles of paved roads" and that a new piece of equipment ordered in July is expected to help complete the work. The chair said a clogged grate and large debris coming down from the mountains made the event unusually severe.
Nut graf: The exchange underscores a recurring problem for some rural neighborhoods in La Paz County: heavy storms drive mountain runoff onto low-lying streets, creating silt, blocked drains and property damage. Residents pressed the board for a more complete, timely cleanup; county officials described an ongoing, prioritized response and a need for additional equipment to finish the work.
County officials and residents gave several concrete details relevant to follow-up: residents said roads currently retain as much as "3 to 4 inches" of silt and that at least one house suffered about "3 feet" of mud inside; the chair said county crews have been on site and that a new piece of equipment ordered in July is pending delivery, which could extend cleanup timelines by a few weeks.
The board did not adopt a new formal directive during the meeting; the chair stated the public works department would continue cleanup efforts and the county will provide updates as equipment arrives and work progresses.
