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Monsoon & Emergency Sanitation in El Paso

Portable toilets and sanitation for monsoon flooding, arroyo flash floods and emergency sites across El Paso and El Paso County.

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Storm & Emergency

Monsoon & Emergency Sanitation: what it covers

Quick answer

Monsoon and emergency sanitation puts portable toilets on high, well-drained ground when storms or flooding leave a site without working facilities. The monsoon runs from 15 June to 30 September, and arroyos can flash flood under clear skies upstream. A local provider places units away from water and checks them after each storm.

Monsoon & Emergency Sanitation illustration for El Paso, TX

The monsoon is the wet season the desert waits for, and it arrives in bursts. Between mid-June and the end of September, storms can drop heavy rain over the city in an hour, and the arroyos and washes carry the water fast. A site that was dry in the morning can be running with water by the evening.

In July to mid-September 2006, repeated thunderstorm clusters caused destructive flooding in El Paso. The Rio Grande reached its highest level since 1912, and the entire village of Vinton was evacuated. Those floods are the reason the city's stormwater system has been expanded, and they are the reason emergency sanitation has to be placed with the water in mind.

Emergency sanitation is about keeping people using a working facility when the usual ones are cut off. It is not about waiting for the water to go down. Units placed early, on high ground and checked often, do the job the site needs.

Service area
El Paso & El Paso County
Availability
Call to reach a local provider, emergencies first
Warning signs

Signs you need monsoon & emergency sanitation

Do not enter moving water, wade into a wash, or try to move a unit while water is running around it. Stay clear of the arroyo during and after a storm, and wait for the crew to confirm the route is safe before going back to the units.

  • A storm is forecast and the site sits in a wash, a dip or an arroyo bottom
  • Flooding has cut off the usual restrooms at a school, a yard or a site
  • Water is running across a lot or a road near the units after a storm
  • A recovery crew is working on the site and has no working facility
  • The pads or the steps of an existing unit have been undercut by water
  • The site is near the Rio Grande, where the river rises after heavy rain upstream
Our process

How our monsoon & emergency sanitation visit works

  1. Pick high, well-drained ground

    Units go on the highest firm ground on the site, away from the wash, the dip and the drainage line. The provider checks the flow of water on the day, not only the contour on the map.

  2. Anchor and secure the units

    Units are anchored or weighted so a gust or a rising sheet of water does not move them. A loose unit is a hazard to the people nearby and to the other units on the site.

  3. Check the access before and after the storm

    The service route is checked before the storm arrives and again once the water has dropped. A route that floods cuts off the crew, so the provider plans a second route where possible.

  4. Inspect after every heavy storm

    The pads, steps and doors are checked after any heavy storm. Water undercuts a pad quickly, and a unit that starts to lean is moved before it falls.

  5. Remove or relocate when the site changes

    When the site is no longer in danger, or when the water has moved a unit, the units are relocated or removed on a set schedule. Keep a record of each move for the site file.

Why do El Paso arroyos flood when the sky overhead is clear?

Storms upstream can send water down an arroyo or wash while the sky above the city is clear. El Paso Water runs the city's stormwater system and warns that rain upstream can reach the city through the arroyos under local skies. Units on a wash bottom or a dip are at risk even on a dry day.

The monsoon's storms often break over the hills and mountains first, and the water then runs down the arroyos into the city. A site that has been dry all afternoon can see a wall of water arrive in minutes. Ask the provider about the watershed above the site, not only the weather over the site itself.

Stormwater works have been built across the city since the 2000s to carry the water away. A site near those works still needs its own placement check, because the channels can fill and overflow.

Where should emergency portable toilets stand during a storm?

On the highest firm ground on the site, well away from the wash, the dip and the drainage line. Anchor the units, check the service route and plan for a second route if the first one floods.

The highest ground is not always the closest. A unit placed on a rise near the building may be better than one placed next to the walkway at the bottom of the slope. The provider and the site's crew walk the drainage with the storm in mind, and mark the water line from the last big rain on the site.

  • The highest firm ground, clear of the wash and the dip
  • Anchored or weighted against wind and rising water
  • A service route checked before and after the storm
  • A second route planned if the first one floods

What should a site do after a flood cuts off its restrooms?

Put units in place on high ground as soon as the water allows, and keep them checked through the recovery. The provider sets the servicing schedule with the site's recovery crew, and the units stay until a working facility is restored.

After a flood, the first need is a working toilet, and the second is a clean one. Units restore the first, and regular servicing keeps the site healthy through the clean-up. Ask the provider to log each visit and to report any change in the ground or the water.

Options

Types and options for monsoon & emergency sanitation

Storm-ready placement

Units placed on high ground and anchored before the monsoon season, for a site that expects regular storms. The placement is checked each season and after any big rain.

Flood-response units

Units brought in after a flood to restore facilities at a school, a yard or a site cut off by water. They are placed on the highest firm ground available and checked on the schedule set by the site's recovery crew.

Arroyo-side site unit

A unit placed on a site near an arroyo or wash. It is set well back from the channel, checked after every storm upstream and moved if the water rises toward it.

El Paso County

Why monsoon & emergency sanitation is different in El Paso and the Mission Valley, out to the New Mexico line

The city's monsoon season runs from 15 June to 30 September, and in that stretch the arroyos can flash flood even on a clear afternoon. A site near an arroyo needs its placement checked before the season starts and after each heavy storm.

The Rio Grande runs along the southern edge of the city and rises after heavy rain upstream. Sites on the river side, including the communities toward San Elizario and Clint, need a higher placement and a plan that covers a rise in the river.

Desert soil crusts over in dry spells, then softens into mud after a storm. A pad that held a unit in May can sink in August, so the provider checks the pads after every heavy rain, not only at the start of the season.

One call and it gets handled.

Most monsoon & emergency sanitation calls are scheduled the same day when a technician is free, and you approve the price before any work starts.

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Where we work

Monsoon & Emergency Sanitation across El Paso County

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Guides

Read before you book

FAQ

Monsoon & Emergency Sanitation FAQs

When is the monsoon season in El Paso?

The National Weather Service defines the monsoon as 15 June to 30 September. Storms in that stretch can flood the arroyos and washes quickly, even when the sky over the city is clear.

Can portable toilets be placed in a flood zone?

They can be placed on the highest firm ground on a site, away from the wash and the drainage line. Units in a flood-prone spot are moved or removed when the water threatens them.

How fast can an arroyo flood?

Fast, and often without warning at the site. Water can run down an arroyo from storms upstream while the sky overhead is clear, so the provider watches the forecast and the upstream rain.

Do you provide sanitation after a flood?

A local provider can place units to restore facilities after a flood, on high ground, with servicing set by the site's recovery crew. Call to describe the site and the access.

What should I check after a storm?

Check the pads, the steps, the doors and the anchors for water damage and undercutting. Report any unit that is leaning or sinking to the provider the same day.

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