After a $50 million dollar bond sale in '84, the City of Tucson thought it had the solution to its storm water drainage problems.
"We took that $50 million and started cutting down trees and grading channels and putting down concrete like nobody's business," said Jim Glock, the city's transportation planning administrator and project manager for the Tucson Stormwater Management Study. "We were getting that water out of your backyard.
"But people (in the community) started scratching their heads and going, 'Now, wait a minute, I liked those trees - and I liked the way those water courses looked.' "
The city soon discovered that Tucsonans had some very particular ideas of how they wanted to handle those infrequent bursts of rain in the desert.
"We went back to the community and did not make any assumptions,'' said Rillito Consulting Group's Freda Johnson, the public participation coordinator for TSMS.
Neighborhoods came up with innovative ideas such as water harvesting, the practice of capturing rain water on your property to water plants in your yard. With enough people harvesting rainfall in a neighborhood, experts believe that some urban flooding problems could be reduced.
The city council and mayor also assembled citizen and technical advisory committees to assist in the development of the draft proposal for the Tucson Stormwater Management Study.
And now, the city is asking the Internet community for its help by offering opinions on storm water management issues.
Rather than simply throw you into a technical report, we're offering background information on storm water issues and the development of the draft proposal to (ahem) get your feet wet.
For you ultra-activists (and we know you're out there, somewhere), we've included some tips on how you can help preserve the quality of our watersheds and storm water.
Most important, though, is that you complete the comment form once you've browsed through the report. Whether you're a hydrologist or a house wife, the mayor and city council have an obligation to listen to what you have to say.
And the Internet is getting its first big chance to have its voice heard at city hall.
P.S. If you're in a hurry and want to take a peek at some of the structural solutions the city may be proposing in your neighborhood, read the introduction of the report to find out in which watershed you are located and then examine table 8.
For notices of public meetings and other participation activities, contact Freda Johnson of Rillito Consulting Group at 622-1933.
Other questions should be directed to Jim Glock of the City of Tucson Transportation at 791-4372.