Coconino County staff and board honor flood-control work; Flood Control District funded projects nearing wrap-up

The board recognized Lucinda Andreani, director of the Coconino County Flood Control District, with public remarks and a citation following a recent award from the Arizona Society of Civil Engineers. County leaders described a multi-year effort to design and build post‑wildfire flood-mitigation projects across nine watersheds after the 2019 wildfires.

County Manager and board members credited the flood control team’s engineering solutions — including conveyance channels, detention basins in neighborhood settings and a large horizontal bore under Highway 89 that allowed installation of a 10-foot conveyance pipe — for reducing flood risk while minimizing environmental disturbance. Officials said the program also relied on easements from dozens of private-property owners who allowed construction staging in residential yards. Supervisors and the county manager emphasized the projects’ public-safety purpose and the district’s outreach during design and construction.

Board members repeatedly praised Andreani’s leadership, noting more than $100 million in mitigation funding secured for projects, the district’s rapid delivery timeline and the projects’ national attention as models for post-fire flood control. Andreani accepted the recognition on behalf of her team and credited staff, engineers and partner agencies for execution. County representatives noted the improvement in neighborhood safety and the county’s ongoing need to finish remaining conveyance work.

Why it matters: the awarded engineering work and the flood-control projects address direct public-safety hazards created after major wildfires and are intended to reduce the risk of debris flows and neighborhood inundation. Board members said the work also advanced the county’s ability to obtain and manage large federal and state grants for resilience projects.