Our View: Flood control a needed drain

Residents should not underestimate either the cost or the value of impending storm drainage improvements.

There are no estimates for the cost per household yet, but the improvements needed to prevent the flooding that could do so much damage are predicted to be massive.

Retention basins, culverts are all means to get flood waters from the Sierra to the Carson River without taking too much of the capital along for the ride.

According to engineer Paul Lumos, one of the key factors in determining how much to charge individuals for storm drainage will be the amount of runoff from their property.

Raising not only issues of permeability and retention, this will hit some of Carson's most expensive property owners.

Actually building the structure will consume less than half of the cost, engineers say. The rest of the utility fees will go to keeping the structures clear for what they were built for, to send flood waters around Carson instead of through it.

Efforts to involve residents in the issue are key to its success. Imposing a storm drainage fee will be a tough pill for Carson residents to swallow. It may help that there is plenty of time to comment.

When the flood of 1997 hit, Carson was spared some of the damage that Reno and Gardnerville suffered.

Worse floods are not only possible, but will occur in the future.

If the people of Carson City are willing to pay for storm drainage, it will be better to do so now than wait for the worst.