Flood control staff update: Coyote Wash bid, Turkey Creek gabions, Bay Acres design and grants

County flood control staff reviewed ongoing and planned construction and grant activities for multiple watersheds, including Coyote Wash, Turkey Creek gabion work, Bay Acres design, Leslie Canyon pond design, Broker Creek and Pomerene Road watershed studies.

Staff reported that bids for the Coyote Wash project were opened last Thursday and that the apparent low bidder submitted a price "just over 5 and a half million dollars," with construction scheduled to begin in November and the roller‑compacted concrete outlet structure and inlet diversion work slated for December, the staff presentation said. The county’s design consultant on that project is JE Fuller.

Staff also described a Turkey Creek project under an NRCD/NRCS grant. "They have a WIFRA grant for $562,000 and Flood Control District with $250,000 to do a gabion control structure to help protect the bridge, the first bridge on Turkey Creek," staff said. Staff said the gabion and rock check dam work typically uses on‑site rock when possible; where larger rock is required, material may be trucked in. County staff said a meeting with all four NRCDs is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 20 to coordinate gabion and watershed projects.

Bay Acres design is in progress and staff said they expect design completion by the end of the calendar year. Staff estimated a possible construction cost near $17 million and said the county would pursue grants to cover right‑of‑way and construction costs; the county has begun acquiring back‑tax parcels that fall in the floodway. Leslie Canyon (Rucker Dam) design was also described as moving toward completion by year‑end, and staff said they are coordinating with ADWR on potential funding or permitting needs.

Staff outlined the county’s regulatory threshold for intervention and funding: the county generally focuses regulatory resources on washes with regulatory discharges of 500 cubic feet per second or more. "Our regulatory discharge is 500 CFS," staff said; smaller unregulated lot splits and informal lot‑split development are not covered by the county’s subdivision controls, staff added.

Additional watershed work under study includes a Corps of Engineers watershed study for Broker Creek (to help flooding in Elfrida) and a Pomerene Road watershed study aimed at reducing roadway overtopping. Staff said they are working with private property owners in some locations to construct conveyance features and noted utility conflicts and right‑of‑way needs on several schemes.

No formal contract awards or board votes were taken at the work session. Staff flagged the need to coordinate legal options for donating or installing gabion structures, to pursue grants for Bay Acres, and to complete design and permitting steps before construction contracts are presented for board approval.