Downstream: every new rooftop adds runoff, and everyone already here borrows to handle it.

In short

El Paso's stormwater system runs almost entirely on a recurring monthly fee paid by existing customers — now $7.42, up from $3 when it began. There is no one-time charge on new subdivisions for the drainage and flood-control capacity their pavement and rooftops require, so every new arroyo crossing and detention pond is paid for by raising the bill on people who already live here — or by borrowing against their future bills. The 2009 stormwater master plan identified $650 million in needed projects; about $362 million has been built since 2008, with growth continuously adding new demand on top of the backlog. The fix already exists in Texas law: the same chapter that authorizes El Paso's water, sewer and roadway impact fees lists storm water, drainage and flood control as an eligible category for any home-rule city. What is missing is the study that would set the number — El Paso has never commissioned one for stormwater. This plan commissions it on the same timeline and procurement as the roadway study, so the City pays for one consultant engagement rather than two, and for the first time sets drainage policy knowing which share of the cost growth is actually causing.