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Airport Wash Basin Management Study

Study status:  Letter of Map Revision Approved by FEMA

Project Purpose

Pima County Regional Flood Control District is working on the Airport Wash Basin Management Study Phase 2 to identify the drainage and flooding hazards within the Airport Wash watersheds and develop alternatives to address those hazards. A Basin Management Study is a comprehensive study that estimates flood and erosion potential for a watershed, maps watercourses, identifies existing and potential problems and develops preliminary solutions and standards for sound floodplain and stormwater management.

For more information contact:
Janice Hughes, PE, Civil Engineer
(520) 724-4600

The initial effort consisted of collecting data to identify known flooding hazards and map floodplains. This included researching historical flooding data, drainage complaints, existing studies and current land-use. The Hydrology within the watershed has been revised to reflect current Pima County standards. The floodplains within the areas currently mapped by FEMA have been revised to reflect current topography and the decreased discharges developed by the project.  Non-FEMA washes greater than 500 cfs were also mapped for regulatory purposes.  The team then formulated a floodplain management approach consisting of structural and non-structural alternative solutions to reduce or eliminate flooding hazards, which were further compared and evaluated to develop a set of preferred alternatives.

With alternatives identified, the District held stakeholder meetings to bring this information to the major constituents within the watershed. When the study is complete, the District will have a comprehensive assessment of flood and erosion hazards. The strategies in the plan should reduce damages to property or loss of life from drainage issues and stormwater flooding. Working with the City of Tucson, the District will need to locate funding sources to implement the selected alternatives.

Letter of Map Revision

Airport Wash Letter of Map Revision Approved by FEMA

The Pima County Regional Flood Control District, in conjunction with the City of Tucson, have submitted revised floodplain and floodway mapping to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  Those revisions have been approved under FEMA Case Number 16-09-1226P and will become effective on June 2, 2017. The Revisions will modify the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) for the Airport Wash. In September 2016, notifications were mailed out to property owners within the current and revised floodplains.  An updated postcard, with the map revision effective date was recently mailed out. Potential discounts in flood insurance rates may be available. Homeowners should contact their lender/insurance agent. The contact for questions in Pima County is Terry Hendricks at (520) 724-4600. The contact for questions in the City of Tucson is Elizabeth Leibold at (520) 837-4934.

Airport Wash Carta de Revisión Mapa Aprobado por FEMA

El Distrito Regional de Control de Inundaciones del Condado de Pima (RFCD por sus siglas en Inglés) junto con la Ciudad de Tucson han solicitado una carta de revisión a la planicie de inundación y cauce de alivio a la Agencia Federal de Manejo de Emergencias (FEMA por sus siglas en Inglés)  para actualizar planicie de inundación para el Airport Wash.

Las revisiones han sido aprobadas por FEMA (caso número 16-09-1226P).  La fecha efectiva de revisión del mapa será el 2 de junio del 2017. 

Las revisiones modificarán la tasa de seguros de los mapas de inundación (FIRM por sus siglas en inglés) para el Airport Wash. En septiembre del 2016 se enviaron notificaciones a propietarios en las planicies de inundación actuales y revisadas. 

Recientemente se envió una postal actualizada, con la fecha efectiva de la revisión del mapa.  Posibles descuentos en la tasa de seguros de inundación pueden ser disponibles.  Los propietarios deben contactar a su agente de seguros o prestamista.  El contacto para preguntas en el Condado de Pima es Francisco Ramirez (520) 724-4600.  El contacto para preguntas en la ciudad de Tucson es Richard Leigh (520) 837-6647).

Información en Español

Airport Wash Carta de Revisión Mapa Aprobado por FEMA

El Distrito Regional de Control de Inundaciones del Condado de Pima (RFCD por sus siglas en Inglés) junto con la Ciudad de Tucson han solicitado una carta de revisión a la planicie de inundación y cauce de alivio a la Agencia Federal de Manejo de Emergencias (FEMA por sus siglas en Inglés)  para actualizar planicie de inundación para el Airport Wash.

Las revisiones han sido aprobadas por FEMA (caso número 16-09-1226P).  La fecha efectiva de revisión del mapa será el 2 de junio del 2017. 

Las revisiones modificarán la tasa de seguros de los mapas de inundación (FIRM por sus siglas en inglés) para el Airport Wash. En septiembre del 2016 se enviaron notificaciones a propietarios en las planicies de inundación actuales y revisadas. 

Recientemente se envió una postal actualizada, con la fecha efectiva de la revisión del mapa.  Posibles descuentos en la tasa de seguros de inundación pueden ser disponibles.  Los propietarios deben contactar a su agente de seguros o prestamista.  El contacto para preguntas en el Condado de Pima es Francisco Ramirez (520) 724-4600.  El contacto para preguntas en la ciudad de Tucson es Richard Leigh (520) 837-6647).

Divulgación al Público

Scope of Work

  • Existing Conditions Analysis:  Review existing studies, perform hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, and identify areas of drainage and erosion hazards
  • Floodplain Mapping:  Delineate 100-year floodplains on washes with a discharge greater than 500 cubic feet per second (cfs) within the Airport Wash watershed. FEMA mapped floodplains will be submitted to FEMA for review and approval. Non-FEMA mapped floodplains are for City of Tucson and Pima County use only.
  • Alternatives Analysis:  Develop structural and non-structural alternative solutions for mitigating the floodplain and erosion hazards identified in the existing conditions analysis, including cost effectiveness.
  • Schedule:  Study completed. FEMA submittal process to continue until approval and revised floodplains become effective.

Maps 

Note:  Additional maps associated with reports may be found in the Project Reports tab.

Data Collection Maps

Data collection within the project area has included a drainage inventory and survey of existing drainage complaints. The information has been summarized on the Existing Constraints map.  

Alternatives Analysis

Maps depicting the Recommended Projects within the study area are available below. Information explaining the recommended projects and information utilized in deriving the recommendations is also included.