Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Flood Control topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Flood control report: below‑average monsoon, Nogales Wash bank full and local repairs underway
Summary
The county’s Flood Control District reported below‑average rainfall for July, noted a watershed storm that produced high intensities and a bank‑full flow of about 1,000 cubic feet per second in the Nogales Wash, and described repairs by public works and the railroad. The district also provided permit counts and project updates including FEMA LOMR
The Santa Cruz County Flood Control District reported on Aug. 6 that July rainfall was below the historical average and that a July 15 thunderstorm produced intense rainfall and elevated flows across the watershed, including a bank‑full run on the Nogales Wash.
District representative Allen: “We were below the average of 4.14 inches. We received about 2.13 inches and half of that rain fell during a July 15 storm.” He added that at one point the Nogales channel was “bank full and was running about a thousand CFS.”
Why it matters: a single intense storm caused most of the month’s rain, producing flow and bank damage that required immediate repairs. The district said county public works crews and the railroad responded to stabilize the channel area adjacent to the gauge near the city building.
The Flood Control District provided activity counts: it received 202 flood hazard information requests (172 in unincorporated county, 28 in Nogales and 2 in Patagonia), 11 floodplain use permit applications (6 in unincorporated county, 5 in the city of Nogales) and one drainage complaint tied to the Nogales Wash channel.
Project updates included: CMG assisting with an alternative structure analysis for the Ephraim Canyon project to meet FEMA grant objectives at lower cost; no new update on the Patagonia regional flood control project; and the county has received FEMA comments on a Portrero Creek letter of map revision (LOMR) dated July 3 and is addressing them. The Nogales downtown redevelopment floodplain feasibility study draft technical memorandum was submitted to the county on June 23 and will be finalized as the study’s final deliverable.
Board members thanked public works for rapid repairs and emphasized the need for more rain; the district confirmed the area remains in D3 (extreme) drought.
