Maricopa County will benefit from $81.1 million in extended flood protection through an intergovernmental agreement that was approved by the Flood Control District of Maricopa County Board of Directors this week. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly the Soil Conservation Service, awarded the funding to the District to rehabilitate four dams: Buckeye Flood Retarding Structure (FRS) #1, White Tanks FRS #4, Powerline FRS and Vineyard Road FRS.
The one-time funding represents 31 percent of a total $262 million which is the result of recent passage of Agricultural Act of 2014, also known as the Farm Bill.
Rehabilitation of the four dams must be completed by September 30, 2018. The District’s Dam Safety Program recognized a need to rehabilitate the dams after safety assessments were performed on each of the structures. The dams are currently functional. However, according to the County, each of them would have eventually been taken out of service had the funding not been awarded.
“These dams protect the county’s most valuable resources, its residents,” said Denny Barney, District 1 and Chairman of the FCD Board. “This award shows the NRCS’s recognition and understanding of our dam safety program. As we saw during the monsoon thunderstorms last week, our flood control structures are important to helping ensure public safety from flood waters.”
Not only will the $81.1 million extend the functional life of each dam for another 100 years, it will also help create jobs. A portion of the money will go towards design work however the majority funds contracts with construction contractors and suppliers. “These Federal dollars are extremely beneficial,” said Clint Hickman, who represents District 4 on the FCD Board. “These dams have prevented significant flooding in the past and are vital to preventing loss of homes, lives and property.”
One reason the District was given such a large percentage of the funding was due to the size and location of the dams. Most NRCS dams are small and protect mostly agricultural land however each of these four dams protect both farmland and tens-of-thousands of people who now live downstream from the structures, according to the District.