TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Environmentalists say flooding caused by a new border security fence in southwestern Arizona shows the structure is being built too quickly and without regard for the environment.

Critics say the design of the border fence caused debris and water backup during a July 12 storm that led to flooding at the port of entry at Lukeville and Sonoyta, Mexico, and at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

“One of the reasons for it was the debris that accumulated on the fence itself,” said Lee Baiza, superintendent of the monument, a 517-square-mile lush desert tract overseen by the National Park Service.

Environmental groups have criticized the manner in which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contractors for federal agencies have designed and built a range of fencing and vehicle barriers at various points along the Arizona-Mexico border.

In particular, they’ve denounced Homeland Defense Secretary Michael Chertoff’s waiver of environmental laws to hasten construction as the Bush administration pushes to complete 670 miles of fences and other barriers by year’s end along the nearly 2,000-mile Mexican border.