LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Flash flood in Ocotillo surprises photographer: Video raises concerns over flooding 

Credit:  Joe Little | ABC 10 News | 07/27/2013 | www.10news.com ~~

OCOTILLO, Calif. – An Ocotillo man’s video of flash flooding in Imperial County is raising questions about the safety of some roads carved into the desert by the Bureau of Land Management.

East County Magazine photographer Jim Pelley found himself stuck in a flash flood Sunday near Ocotillo. Pelley told 10News he and his wife went out in their Toyota 4Runner to watch the rain clouds. He said within a matter of minutes, the dirt and gravel road they were on flooded.

“What I didn’t notice was the water was coming behind me and it was coming [onto] the access road that I was on,” Pelley said.

He shot video of the river that formed over the access road and shared it with 10News.

“This is crazy, gotta get out here,” Pelley said in the video he took with his smartphone.

The incident worries Pelley because he said it’s not natural. He said the BLM is part of a 42-mile network of dirt roads carved into the desert near Ocotillo so that work vehicles can get to a massive wind turbine installation operated by Pattern Energy.

There are 112 turbines are spread out over 1,200 acres around Ocotillo.

Pelley said the rain floods the roads, as opposed to spreading out into the desert.

“[I’m] very worried about this water getting diverted and possibly flooding our home,” said Pelley.

Pelley said the Ocotillo community fought Pattern Energy and the BLM on the turbines on a number of issues, including the risk of flooding.

He thinks his video is proof that the next major rainfall could be disastrous for Ocotillo.

10News reached out to the Bureau of Land Management and Pattern Energy, but did not receive a response by Friday evening.

Source:  Joe Little | ABC 10 News | 07/27/2013 | www.10news.com

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon