TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The combination of debris and monsoon has been a problem in the past, such as the flooding in Zayna Mediterranean Restaurant's parking lot.
While that situation was resolved, neighbors in the Sunset Villa community on Tucson's southside are hoping for the same outcome.
This story is part of our KGUN 9 original: Monsoon Watch 2025. Watch the full program:
Near Interstate 19, there's a large pile of debris next to an underpass that's also full of debris. Neighbors expressed concerns around flooding ahead of the monsoon storms. Paul Torres says he and other neighbors had been trying to get something done about it for months.
“I would hate for that water to be blocked off from going where it's supposed to go and come into our neighborhood and, you know, get into somebody's home, or, you know, damage somebody's property or whatnot, you know, for something that shouldn't have ever happened? Should have been cleaned,” Paul Torres told KGUN 9.
He spent months making attempts to address his concerns. Eventually, he saw some workers cleaning the area.
“They did come out and cleaned up, but they didn't finish, and they left. On the other side of all these trees, there's a lot more debris and water bottles. And, I mean, it just, it's a mixture of everything.”
He worked with his local government representative to get some answers, reaching out to the office of Ward One. He also contacted KGUN 9 to find out what the delay was in taking care of the issue.
KGUN 9 found the area falls into the boundary of City of Tucson's Ward One. To address the specific issue, we also contacted the Environmental Services and Transportation and Mobility departments, which deal with trash and washes respectively.
The departments finally pointed us to ADOT, which was responsible for the area next to the interstate.
A similar situation business owners experienced in midtown dealt with at Zayna Mediterranean Restaurant, having to first find out who was responsible for their adjacent wash to maintain it.
"We want a community to be nice and clean, just, you know, without all this trash and stuff out here all the time. You know, this trash has been out here for going on three, four months, you know," said Paul Torres.
Once in communication with ADOT, KGUN 9 learned the area isn't an area of concern for flooding. It isn’t labeled as a wash on the map, but video taken the day after a storm on June 1 shows it’s an area where water can build up.
An ADOT spokesperson also shared crews are planning on cleaning it starting mid-June, around three weeks after KGUN 9 first reached out.
Now, neighbors have answers to take care of their concerns around flooding, and also know the process. It's a reminder for others in the Tucson area ahead of monsoon rains and flooding.
“We want to get this area clean, and we know it's not always going to be perfect, but as a community, we can clean and help clean up," Torres said.
Torres is also looking into partnering with other community leaders to beautify the neighborhood.
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
