Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: This tree along the canal in the area of U.S. Highway 70 and 200 North was uprooted in the storm.
By Jon Johnson
PIMA – It was a wet and wild weekend in Pima and the roadway debris and punchcard for the town’s public works department shows it.
The rain first came on Saturday, canceling the Pima Fire Department’s Big Splash Bash. The planned raffles, including the 50/50 raffle, and hunt raffle, will be chosen at the fire department’s open house on Aug. 30 at the firehouse at 86 S. 200 West, from 6 – 8 p.m.
A severe thunderstorm then struck the area Sunday night, dumping more than 2 inches of rain in less than two hours. Severe wind gusts uprooted trees and caused slight damage throughout town.
Pima Town Manager Vernon Batty said the storm “played havoc with the roads and the sewer” but that Public Works Director Jimmy Lofgreen was “on top of it all weekend.”
Currently, there’s a place where stormwater gets into the sewer, which causes infiltration and a higher flow than the system can handle, according to Lofgreen. In addition to the influx of stormwater into the sewer, lift stations were also in need of attention and the sewer drains themselves had to be unclogged from debris.
“We just need to address those problems so it doesn’t continue to happen,” Batty said. Unfortunately, part of the problem rests with private property owners, and Batty said the town will have to have a conversation with them about it.
The deluge also left a muddy mess on Pima’s roads from broken fields, but Batty said it is nothing too bad vehicles can’t drive over and crews will remove the dirt once it dries.
Overturned trees
At about 7:10 p.m. on Sunday, County Dispatch received a report of a tree that fell in the area of 200 North (Tripp Canyon Road) and hit a Century Link utility pole and line. The tree also was reportedly blocking the road.
Two additional trees off U.S. Highway 70 in the area of 200 North (Tripp Canyon Road) also were uprooted in the storm and numerous branches were broken.
More storms are forecast for the area for Tuesday as well as Friday – Sunday.
