Last year, heavy rains and mud left a mess throughout Tusayan following a violent monsoon storm. Just two inches of rain caused 3 feet of water to build up and rush through the town.
Using a $2.4 million grant, the town, Arizona’s Department of Transportation and Coconino County will create a drainage project to keep the water moving.
Lucinda Andreani, the county’s flood control director, told the county board that flood modeling predicted a large storm could push 10,000 cubic feet of water per second through Tusayan.
"Which is comparable to the Grand Canyon Colorado River at Lee’s Ferry. So significant potential impact," she said.
The plan is intended to reduce flood impacts not only to the town but to Highway 64 leading to the Grand Canyon.
More Environment Stories
-
The new agreement means less water for Mexico, but provides stability to those who use the Colorado River near its delta. -
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights called for Mexico and the mining company Grupo México’s to make good on promises to the community more than a decade after the historic spill. -
The letter comes after an August roundup in northwest Colorado, where the BLM gathered 894 wild horses. Nine died in the operation. -
In the Sonoran Sky Islands region, one organization is working to bring back native species. But it’s running up against a lengthening border wall. -
Giant sequoias only grow naturally in California today. But they once ranged as far east as Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada, before the climate turned drier and pushed them into their current, narrower range.
