COCONINO COUNTY — The Coconino County Flood Control District has delivered another substantial element of post-wildfire flood mitigation to Flagstaff’s Spruce Avenue Wash Flood Corridor/Museum Flood Area … with completion of the second and final phase of the Park Way Sediment Basins Project.
The Park Way Sediment Basins Project is one of a suite of ongoing post-wildfire flood mitigation projects in Spruce Avenue Wash, which was heavily impacted by flood flows from the Museum Fire scar in 2021. Phase I was completed in June 2023, and with the completion of Phase II, the project now includes three sediment basins with a total capacity of nine acre-feet—about the same as four and a half Olympic swimming pools.
“We know that sediment loads are a large contributor to overwhelming the infrastructure and flooding within post-wildfire flood corridors,” said Lucinda Andreani, Coconino County Flood Control District Administrator. “These sediment basins, in conjunction with the watershed restoration we have conducted upstream, will be key to minimizing the amount of flood sediment and debris that ends up downstream, which is important to the significant infrastructure investment the City is making downstream.”
The Park Way Sediment Basins were constructed on a parcel owned by the City of Flagstaff. They were engineered by Natural Channel Design Engineering to include three sediment basins, erosion control structures, and a re-establishment of a trail that previously occupied the area. The project was funded through the District and a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) at total cost of over $1.4 million. Two separate contractors—Tiffany Construction and Kinney Construction Services (KCS)—participated in the construction effort, which was challenging due to its placement within a dense residential area.
“KCS coordinated with the team from Natural Channel Design and the City of Flagstaff for pre-determined hauling routes to ease congestion in the Park Site neighborhood,” said Will Odell, spokesperson for KCS. “Safety and public awareness were key elements for project success in this busy corridor along Linda Vista.”
City of Flagstaff flood mitigation projects in the Spruce Avenue Wash Flood Corridor are ongoing. For more information, visit www.museumfloodprojects.com