EL PASO, Texas -- An unattended pool can contain larvae, trash, several insects and hundreds of mosquitoes, which lay their eggs and breed in standing water. A city inspector on patrol noticed a house in the Upper Valley with lots of weeds, so he stopped by to let the owner know. "As soon as he approached the door, he got attacked by adult mosquitoes," said Lucinda Chavez from the Environmental Services Department.

That was the red flag that there was a problem with mosquitoes on the property, and after noticing the trash hadn't been picked up for a while, the El Paso Environmental Services Department did some investigating.

"Apparently the owner lives in Hawaii. We will be sending him a certified letter letting him know about the weed issues and the problem with the swimming pool," said Chavez. On average, the Environmental Services Department sees about 15 to 20 cases like these every month. If a problem like a pool with water still sitting in it goes unattended it can affect the rest of the neighborhood. "So eventually it will be a problem that neighbors won't be able to enjoy the outdoors because of the problem here that they have,” said Chavez.

In the meantime, despite Wednesday’s winds, a city inspector came out to the Upper Valley home to treat the problem with chemicals, before it became worse. One neighbor, Jodie Matejcek, said, "Mosquitoes, you know, they're vectors for all kinds of diseases… so glad they treated it.”

The Environmental Services Department would like to remind you that if you do see an abandoned property with a pool that has standing water or a property with lots of tires, to call them at 774-4500, so they can go and check out the property.