Flood Control District of Maricopa County, AZ

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Flood Control DistrictofMaricopa County, AZ

• Steve Waters
• Flood Warning Manager

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For Today

• Quick Overview of Maricopa County
• Our Inter-governmental Agreement
• Meteorological Services Program
• A Success Story
• What We Could Do Better Together

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Maricopa County
Total Area 9,226 Square Miles Population 3,000,000
(estimated 1999) Growth Rate 4 (estimated 12
month period) 25 separate Municipalities within
Maricopa County (not including unincorporated
areas).
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It Never Rains inMaricopa County
RUMOR
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Average Annual Precipitation Oregon Climate
Service Oregon State University
Inches
Under 8
8 to 12
24 to 28
12 to 16
28 to 32
16 to 20
32 to 36
20 to 24
Above 36
Period 1961 - 1990
This map is a plot of 1961-1990 annual average
precipitation contours from NOAA Cooperative
stations and (where appropriate) USDA-NRCS SNOTEL
stations. Christopher Daly used the PRISM model
to generate the gridded estimates from which this
map was derived the model grid was approximately
4x4 km latitude/longitude, and was resampled to
2x2 km using a Gaussian filter. Mapping was
performed by Jenny Weisberg and Nathaniel
DeYoung, Funding was provided by USDA-NRCS
National Water and Climate Center. 4/20/98
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ALERTOverview
1981
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Major Watersheds Affecting Maricopa County
Verde River
Agua Fria River
Hassayampa River
Salt River
Centennial Wash
Gila River
Waterman Wash
Gila River
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STATIONS - 299 Rain Gages - 288 Stream Gages -
133 Weather Stations - 28
FCDMC ALERT SYSTEM
Remote PCs
Repeaters - 12
ALERT Room
Internet Server (Node 3)
Phone Dial in/out
NovaStar v.4X, 4 Nodes
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Local Flood Warning Areas
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Flood ResponsePlans

• Used by Local Jurisdictions
• Rely heavily on ALERT Products, MSP Forecasts
  NWS Forecasts

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An Operational Page from theWickenburg Flood
Response Plan
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IGA with PHX WFOSignedin1990
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Responsibilities of the NWS

• Advise on equipment selection
• Assist in selection of ALERT station sites
• Coordinate radio frequency usage
• Provide supporting Hydro-Met information
• Provide advisories to determine expected runoff
  conditions
• Review calibration of CBRFC forecast models
• Incorporate local flood alerts into related NWS
  Issuances, and assist in local notification

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Responsibilities of the FCDMC

• Provide, install and maintain ALERT equipment
• Assure utilization of radio frequencies as
  authorized
• Develop a jurisdictional Flood Response Manual
• Provide warnings based on local conditions, NWS
  guidance and the Flood Response Manual
• Relay local warnings to the Phoenix WFO

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Why a Meteorological Services Program?
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Meteorological Services Program Zones
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In-HouseDailyOutlook
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A Message 1 contains warnings and /or updates
conditions
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A Message 2 is equivalent to a Flash Flood Watch
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A Message 3 is equivalent to a Flash Flood Warning
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A Message 4 allows agencies to stand down
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MSP Messages Are Provided To

• Internal Observation Operations Teams
• Maricopa County Departments, including
  Transportation, Emergency Management and Sheriff
• City Emergency Management and Public Works
  Departments
• Recreation areas such as Parks and Lakes
• Public Warnings Remain the Domain of the National
  Weather Service

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CentennialWashWatershed
ASuccessStory
Yavapai Co.
La Paz Co.
Maricopa Co.
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STORM-TOTAL NEXRAD Precipitation Estimate
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Centennial Wash in Wenden, AZ
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SpecialServiceAward
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What We Could Do Better Together

• Share real-time and historic spotter information
• Collaborate on projects such as the FFMP NAME
• Work with our RFC on more than major rivers
• Develop better Z/R relationships for the arid
  west
• Share results of storm and flood investigations

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Questions ?
www.fcd.maricopa.gov/Services/ALERT