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Roads still flooding after multi-million dollar basin built

Posted at 7:13 PM, Aug 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-15 22:13:14-04

"Absolutely none of the water that was promised to be taken off the local roads, has been taken off," said John Bzdel.

Bzdel is clearly frustrated. He says the roads near his home along 19th Avenue and Dobbins Road continue to flood despite promises from the city of Phoenix.

"This is where $4.5 million of the tax payer's money has been spent," said Bzdel.

Millions spent to build a 36-acre retention basin off 29th Avenue. The project was pushed forward following a mess we caught on camera in 2014 when 16 people were rescued from their vehicles after water poured down south of the mountain and into the roadway.

"Dobbins Road literally turns into a raging river, I mean the water is completely across the roadway," said Bzdel.

He says while the basin was completed in December, pictures from just a week ago show water continuing to gather on the roadway, and the basin remains bone dry. Now Bzdel says he wants answers.

"It either wasn't designed properly and it doesn't perform or there's still additional work that needs to be performed," questioned Bzdel.

"This is the foundation for the solution," said Monica Hernandez.

Hernandez is with the city and says the basin is just the first step in a series of improvements to the area.

"It is the main component that needed to be in place before other fixes can come in," said Hernandez.

Fixes like storm drains to funnel the water to the basin. She says the next step is securing more funding for those fixes.

"Unfortunately these solutions don't happen overnight," said Hernandez.

Bzdel says he understands the process, but his patience is running thin.

"Well here's an empty retention pond that says $4.5 million didn't buy us anything," said Bzdel.