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The Flood Control District works to help residents to be safer and incur less property damage when floods happen. Floods are a natural occurrence, and floodplains have beneficial functions for groundwater recharge and wildlife habitat. We also need to endeavor to make these areas safe for residents and visitors in Gila County.
Floodplain Management: We work with residents to help them build in a manner that reduces property damage and loss of life when flooding occurs. Congress has established rules designed to accomplish that goal. We are responsible for floodplain management, including review of engineering reports for development, review of proposed developments within regulatory floodways, calculation of erosion setbacks and base flood elevations where not provided by FEMA on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps, and other engineering support as needed for floodplain management. The Flood Control District also does all floodplain management and floodplain permitting for the incorporated towns of Star Valley, Hayden, and Winkelman. In an effort to streamline the overall permit process in the County, we have delegated some floodplain permit writing and information dissemination duties to the Community Development Division, for unincorporated areas of Gila County.
Other Flood Control Functions: The Flood Control District works with FEMA regarding Flood Maps, does special flood studies, post-flooding forensic engineering, planning, flood mitigation, public education, ordinance updates, support for public works projects involving floodplains, GIS flood hazard maps, post-wildfire flood mitigation planning, etc. The Flood Control District also installs and maintains the various components of the Gila County Flood Threat Monitoring System ("A.L.E.R.T." System), which includes the installation and maintenance of remote-reporting rain / streamflow gages, weather stations, data radio repeater network, and base station database.
WILDFIRE ALERT:
If you live downstream of a burned area, there is a greatly increased risk of flooding since more rainfall runs off of a burned area than from an unburned area. Additionally, the runoff carries large amounts of sediment once the vegetation is burned. Areas which were considered slight or no flood risks before the fire could have a large risk of flooding after a wildfire. A home is the largest investment many people have. PLEASE PROTECT THE INVESTMENT IN YOUR HOME BY PURCHASING FLOOD INSURANCE NOW.
As of July 6, 2012, FEMA now has an exception to the 30-day waiting period before a flood insurance claim can be made after purchasing a new flood insurance policy. If a valid flood insurance claim is made, and the flooding is made worse by post-wildfire conditions on federal lands, a claim may be approved within the normal 30-day waiting period, if certain criteria are met. Click here for information which FEMA sent to insurers with details about this new exception.
Click here for more information on flood insurance.
For more information, please click on one of the following links:
Floodplain Management - Mapping and Technical Issues
Development within a Floodplain (Procedures and Permits)
Darde G. de Roulhac, P.E., CFM
Chief Engineer / Floodplain Administrator
107 W. Frontier St, Suite A
Payson, AZ 85541
Office: 928-474-1076
Fax: 928-468-1106
Email: dderoulhac@gilacountyaz.gov
