Sen. Sinema, Kelly announce $49 million to help Buckeye, Apache Junction prevent floods

Two Valley cities will receive a total of $49 million of federal funding for flood control projects, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's office announced Wednesday.

Apache Junction, located in the east Valley and home to about 40,000 residents, will receive the bulk of the funding at more than $44 million. On the other end of the region, Buckeye will receive $4.5 million to launch the Storm Water Flooding Mitigation Improvement Project. The city has been one of the fastest-growing in the country in recent years and is home to just over 100,000 people.

The funding is coming from the Sinema-led bipartisan infrastructure law that was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. About $7 billion of the total $1.2 trillion was allocated towards the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help protect communities from natural disasters like floods.

“Communities like Buckeye and Apache Junction regularly experience floods that threaten the safety of Arizona businesses and families. The funds I secured in our bipartisan infrastructure law will help our state better prevent and recover from future floods so Arizona communities can have peace of mind,” Sinema said in the announcement released by her office.

Sen. Mark Kelly also helped to shape the bill, citing the need to protect the two communities.

“As extreme weather events become more common and more severe, we must do more to proactively protect Arizona communities. This funding will help protect Apache Junction and Buckeye so they can continue to grow and invest in their future,” Kelly said in the announcement.

Apache Junction will use the funding to build a flood control facility to make the downstream community safer and reduce the need for search and rescue operations in flooding events.

Mayor Chip Wilson told the Arizona Republic the city is in the midst of designing the flood control facility near Weekes Wash in the north area of Apache Junction. The federal funding will cover nearly 50% of the total project cost, he said.

About 400 homes are at risk of flooding when heavy rains hit the city, Wilson said. Over the past few years, there have been many instances when public safety has rescued residents during flash floods. This type of facility will reduce the need to respond to flooding events, he said. “This is a safety issue for everybody, not only the public, but also the police and fire,” he said.

The flood control project will have a twofold function, he said. “It's water retention for preventing water coming through the city, but also is a recharging network to recharge the aquifers as well,” he said.

Although the project will take years to complete, Wilson said affected residents are excited for it to be built in part because it could bring down home insurance costs because they are within the FEMA-designated flood area.

Buckeye has experienced flooding each year, especially in the city's downtown area. The Storm Water Flooding Mitigation Improvement Project will connect the city's drainage system to existing irrigation canals and see a new floodwater retention basin built. The system will divert floodwaters away from existing infrastructure and improve road safety.

The project will enhance the safety of over 7,000 homes in downtown Buckeye, according to a statement from a Buckeye spokesperson.

Most flooding there is caused by the natural layout of the land. The project will prevent property damage to homes and flash floods along roadways, as well as improve groundwater restoration. And during the dry seasons, the retention area can be used for outdoor activities like sports.

Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn said a previous project in 2010 completed drainage in parts of the downtown area, but the new funding will allow the project to take care of the areas along the Monroe Avenue corridor and the southern area of downtown. The retention basin will also be located south of the downtown area. The city has been discussing further drainage projects for years, but the funding was not available, Orsborn said.

The downtown area experiences some sort of flooding whenever there is a significant amount of rainfall, Orsborn said, causing significant water to flow in the gutters. But the new project will help to mitigate those issues, Orsborn said.

"We're grateful for our senators and the work they're doing to bring funding to the state of Arizona and specifically Buckeye to take care of long-standing infrastructure needs," Orsborn said.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa and Gilbert and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.

Reach the reporter at ahardle@gannett.com or by phone at 480-259-8545. Follow her on Twitter @AlexandraHardle.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sen. Sinema, Kelly announce $49 million for Arizona flood control