About the closing of Indian Canyon Drive

The news has a report on the closing of Indian Canyon Drive last night: "There's no levee. There was no flood. In fact, as Coachella Valley Water District officials stressed repeatedly today, Tuesday night's overflow at one of their replenishment ponds in northern Palm Springs means the valley is getting more water than it's using. And the district's backup systems are working just the way they're supposed to. "What actually happened was something that hasn't happened in two decades," said Robert Keeran, a spokesman for the district, during a Wednesday tour of the ponds, where water from the Colorado River percolates, or seeps, into the valley's aquifer. All 19 ponds were filled to capacity, so water from the last pond started overflowing into a retention area where it could also seep into the ground, he said. But because an overflow hadn’t happened in so long, Keeran said, it’s understandable that a Mission Springs Water District employee driving down Indian Canyon Drive might have thought the overflow represented a danger to the public. His call to the Palm Springs Police Department triggered the flood alert and resulting closure of Indian Canyon on Tuesday night. Could some future overflow reach Indian Canyon and cause some flooding? “I won’t say it can’t happen,” Keeran said. “The likelihood is very small, almost nonexistent.” You might remember that in January of 2011 there also was a closing like this. Miss Penny Lane says: She's lately been flooded with wonderful memories of good times at Palermo.