The fiscal omnibus bill approved just before the new year includes nearly $1 billion for protecting the nation’s watersheds. And of that, northern Arizona’s Coconino County will receive $50 million.
In 2022, a 26,000 acre fire destroyed the natural forest watersheds that actively slowed water down after rains hit the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff. Last summer, 45 floods were unleashed on the city and Coconino County. County flood control district administrator Lucinda Andreani says funding will go toward stopping flooding in neighborhoods as well as rebuilding the watersheds that burned.
"We’re going to focus on the projects that we can mobilize quickly. Where we have the approvals, we have the drainage easements in place," she said.
Funding for the projects was set aside by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which received $941 million for conservation efforts nationwide.
