Alamo Wash repair project is example of year-round Flood Control maintenance to stormwater systems
Dec 09, 2021
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Just because the monsoon has ended doesn’t mean the work of the Pima County Regional Flood Control District is over.
The record monsoon left in its wake damaged stormwater infrastructure that the Flood Control District has been busily repairing.
Most recently, District workers and contractors were in the Alamo Wash to remove cracked and damaged concrete and prepare for the installation of new reinforcements.
“Regular maintenance and repair work like this in Alamo Wash represents a big part of what the District does,” Flood Control District Director Suzanne Shields said. “By addressing storm damage quickly we avoid larger, costlier repairs and can better protect private property from flooding.”
The section of wash, north of Glenn Street to Fort Lowell Road between Craycroft and Swan roads, had severe damage to concrete structures following the summer rains. The damage was exacerbated by a mass of tree roots that damaged the concrete and allowed stormwaters in. The rushing water washed away soil beneath the concrete, destabilizing the wash.
In some sections of the Alamo Wash, the flooding this summer was so powerful that stormwaters lifted out concrete sections as large as 12 feet by 12 feet. Crews have been at the site since early December making repairs and will continue to work for another week or more.
In addition to removing and installing new concrete reinforcements, crews cleaned the downstream stretch of the wash to Fort Lowell. Along with overgrown vegetation, which impedes the flow of water, crews removed 19 shopping carts, 12 mattresses, and filled at least 360 bags with trash.
Throughout the year, the Flood Control District makes improvements to drainageways by removing sediment, thinning vegetation, and repairing flood damage in and around the washes and streams of Pima County.