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
-
After finally being sworn in following a historic seven-week delay, Arizona Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva is using her first legislative act to fulfill a campaign promise she made to tribes in Arizona and across Indian Country. -
Costa’s hummingbirds are native to the Southwest and northwest Mexico — which meant this little guy was a long way from home. So Jennifer Munson decided to see if she could help him get back to where he came from — and Tucson journalist Henry Brean wrote about what happened next. -
A team of researchers has been studying meteorological and air quality data collected during the 189 dust storms we’ve experienced in Phoenix since 2010. Based on that analysis, they recently unveiled the "Phoenix Dust Scale," a ranking system to assess the severity of dust storms. -
Floods in Southeast Asia have killed more than 1,000 people so far — and many more are missing. -
The narrowed pool of waters receiving federal protection under the rule could be severe for critical wetlands and streams in the arid West, many of which are seasonal or fed by groundwater.
