Flagstaff Councilmember Charlie Odegaard, left to right, Commanding General the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite and Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans. Courtesy photos.
FLAGSTAFF — The city of Flagstaff hosted a tour of the Rio de Flag Flood Control Project for Congressman Tom O’Halleran, the Commanding General the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite and the commander of the Los Angeles District of USACE, Col. Aaron Barta on Oct. 17, 2018.
In September, Mayor Evans and Councilmember Odegaard visited Washington D.C. to discuss the urgency of the Rio de Flag project with elected officials and senior leadership. This tour was conducted to provide Congressman O’Halleran and USACE leadership with a better understanding of the of area impacted by the Rio de Flag, the goals of the project and discuss possible paths forward.
“This is the first visit by a Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Flagstaff to review the Rio de Flag project firsthand,” said Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans. “We used this visit to highlight areas most impacted and discuss the value of this effort to our community. I am optimistic about working together to complete these necessary infrastructure improvements.”
The USACE allocated $1 million in federal fiscal year 2017 work program funding and $1.3 million in federal fiscal year 2018 work program funding to the Rio de Flag project. This funding has allowed USACE to resume work on design plans for the project. The purpose of these plans is to reduce the projected damages and economic losses of a major flood event by containing the 100-year flood within the proposed improvements. The USACE feasibility report proposes to contain the 100-year flood event through construction of 1.6 miles of flood control channel improvements, a 72-acre detention basin, property acquisition, utility relocations and three new bridges.
“We are thankful to Congressman O’Halleran for his continued advocacy of this project and to Lt. Gen. Semonite and Col. Barta for taking the time to travel to Flagstaff and tour the Rio de Flag to gain a better understanding of the importance of this project to the city,” said Councilmember Charlie Odegaard. “After speaking with Lt. Gen. Semonite I am optimistic for the path forward in our partnership with the Army Corps and the possibility of construction in 2020.”
“The Rio de Flag flood control project is crucial for Flagstaff and the surrounding area where businesses and homes are at risk of severe flooding if a major event occurs. I am glad Lt. Gen. Semonite and Col. Barta could join me yesterday for a first-hand look at the project. I want to thank Mayor Evans and Councilmember Odegaard, city of Flagstaff officials, and the Army Corps of Engineers for taking the time to discuss this important infrastructure need. I look forward to continuing to work with Flagstaff leaders and the Corps to prioritize this critical project and ensure the federal funding they need is available, ” said Congressman Tom O’Halleran.
A significant flood event would directly affect more than half of Flagstaff’s nearly 70,000 residents and would result in damages to approximately 1,500 structures valued at over $916,000,000. Implementation of the city’s Downtown and Southside Redevelopment Initiative are dependent on the completion of the Rio de Flag Project.