Army Corps, county team to slow floods

Thursday, Dec. 16, 1999 | 11:11 a.m.

Clark County and the Army Corps of Engineers are teaming to slow the flow of flood waters through the Tropicana-Flamingo Wash.

Federal and local leaders will sign an agreement on Friday that will allow the county to design and build $36.5 million in flood protection on the dry wash. By switching construction to the county, the project will be completed faster. The federal government will then repay the county $23 million.

"I am pleased to see the Regional Flood Control District has worked so closely with the Army Corps of Engineers to construct this flood detention basin," Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said. "It is an important component of the valley's flood control efforts and as a result will save lives and property as we deal with future flooding."

The Tropicana-Flamingo Wash is one of seven major washes in the Las Vegas Valley.

By tackling five flood control projects at once, Southern Nevada officials say they hope to stop devastating floods in the Las Vegas Valley.

After more than $20 million in property damages from the July 8-16 floods this summer, the Regional Flood Control District Board agreed to speed up flood control projects, Flood Control District General Manager Gale Fraser said.

"By taking care of flooding along one major wash that traverses our community, we are making significant advances to protecting families and businesses from flooding in the southwestern part of the valley," Fraser said.

Included in the area are such housing developments as Spanish Trails and major Las Vegas Strip resorts as well as the freeway system that cuts north and south across the valley.

The Tropicana-Flamingo Wash project is one of eight projects nationwide identified by the Army Corps to demonstrate potential advantages and effectiveness of local governments implementing a federal flood control project, Regional Flood Control District Board Chairman Larry Brown said.

"This is an incredible opportunity for us to work in partnership with Clark County to speed up federal flood control projects and give our citizens a greater level of protection from flash flooding," Brown, a Las Vegas city councilman, said.

The federal-local partnership falls under Section 211 of the Water Resources Act of 1996. Under the act, local sponsors fund, design and build parts of the Corps' project, speeding up the flood protection.

"By working together under the Section 211 agreement, several of the Tropicana and Flamingo Wash project features will be built years ahead of schedule with no additional cost to taxpayers," Brown said.

Officials will dedicate two completed projects that are part of the overall project. They include the $4.2 million Lower Blue Diamond Channel and the $5.1 million Tropicana detention basin outfall system.

At the same time, officials will break ground on the $8.3 million Blue Diamond detention basin, the $8.4 billion Western Beltway/Red Rock Channel and the $10 million Lower Red Rock Complex Channel.

The Blue Diamond detention basin is under construction about three miles west of Rainbow Boulevard on State Route 160, on the north side of Blue Diamond Road.

"The dedication of two flood control projects and the groundbreaking of three new flood control projects demonstrates significant progress toward making our valley a safer place to live," County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury said.