Stantec Selected for Maricopa County Flood Hazard Study

Stantec was selected by the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, Ariz., to study the Gillespie/Woolsey watershed. This effort will identify and mitigate flood hazards for the area through analysis and development guidelines. Spanning 148 sq miles southwest of the Phoenix metropolitan area, the watershed contains a sizeable amount of agricultural land, key infrastructure and public facilities, and portions of the Sonoran Desert National Monument. The two-year study will provide flood safety for area residents by establishing guidelines to address current and potential flood hazards in the watershed. The contract for Stantec is anticipated to be between $1.2 and $1.6 million.

The study stemmed from a request for assistance from the Woolsey Flood Protection District. The study area includes portions of unincorporated Maricopa County, and the towns of Gila Bend and Buckeye. Stantec’s study data will be part of the first phase of the Gillespie Area Drainage Master Study conducted by the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, the publicly funded agency that identifies regulates flood hazards in unincorporated areas and 12 incorporated communities in the county.

Working from its Phoenix office, Stantec’s scope of professional engineering services will include hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, identification and quantification of drainage problems and flood hazards, Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain delineations, surveying, sedimentation and channel lateral migration evaluation, public outreach, stakeholder coordination and establishment of public safety guidelines to address the identified flooding.

Among the techniques to be employed by Stantec is its use of the FLO-2D modeling software, which will deliver an integrated river and floodplain model. Using the software, Stantec will complete flood routing hydrologic and hydraulic models that will evaluate the impacts of manmade and natural features such as diversions structures and alluvial fans on flooding conditions.

Source: Stantec