same problem in any arid and desert environment with hard packed sand.
it doesn't absorb water.
it just rolls along the surface.
and it was a lot of rain.
i'm not discarding your dam theory…
but natural occurrences of flash flooding in arid regions is kind of common.
i have no knowledge of the status of the dams at the time of the event.
i know for a fact AZ DNR dig canals and channels water away from populated area.
i'm guessing this place was isolated enough where preventative measures were not taken.
the place was situated on a river.
thats already low lying area.
might be no way to have diverted the flow into the river.
or worse yet…
the canals could have been channeling to that river.
i'm just speculating here…
either way i'm sure there will be a good deal of precautions taken to protect the camp in the future…
that is…
providing it wasn't a total loss.
i agree. the more dams the merrier.
i'm not trying to disparage your line of thought.
peruse it with all you have.
but flash flooding in the desert isn't all that uncommon.
they get minimal rain all year…
and the water has nowhere to go…
a little water goes a long way in that environment.
it does appear Nolte Island Dam is on the Guadalupe river. But i cannot tell if its up or down stream.