Coconino County outlines $105 million in post‑wildfire flood work and seeks long‑term restoration plan

Coconino County officials told the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14 that the county has completed major construction work on post‑wildfire flood mitigation and now needs a long‑term plan for forest restoration and remaining flood projects.

Lucinda Andreani, deputy county manager and flood control district administrator, said construction and related spending tied to the Schultz and Pipeline fires total about $75 million to date and roughly $105 million when recent guaranteed maximum price (GMP) packages approved at the meeting are included. "We've invested in terms of what we've actually spent today. We're at about $75,000,000. If you include the prior and today's GMPs, we're at about $105,000,000 now," Andreani said.

The mitigation work is funded through a mix of federal and state grants and local match. Sean Puyama, flood control district program manager, said the county secured two Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) awards for multiple watersheds, a Good Neighbor Authority award from the U.S. Forest Service, and a federal PROTECT…