Did You Know?

Information compiled from the Tucson Stormwater Management Study Bulletin

Runoff is not treated at the metro area's waste water treatment plants operated by Pima County. Unlike many communities, Tucson does not have an extensive underground combined sewer/runoff system. Rather, we rely on a combination of streets, washes and channels to handle storm water, much of which ultimately becomes our drinking water.
The "100-year flood" doesn't happen every one hundred years. It could happen this year and next year, depending on the weather. Think of it as having a 1% chance of happening any year.
The city has implemented the Watercourse Maintenance Demonstration Project by field testing some maintenance guidelines developed earlier in the TSMS. The purpose of the project is to strike a better balance between protecting public health and safety, and preserving vegetation along the city's water courses. The guidelines lead to more sensitive treatment of vegetation by city employees charged with maintaining our desert washes.
Floodplain insurance may be required when you refinance a mortgage. This is because as new areas of the city are mapped to determine floodplain limits, you may find your property within a designated floodplain. As the city has grown, drainage conditions have changed. Information about the floodplain status of your property can be found on Flood Insurance Rate Maps, available for examination at Tucson-Pima libraries. Or, call the city's Floodplain Management Office at 791-4914 if you need more information.
Water harvesting is a topic of interest to many people in the community. Many believe we should use rainfall as a resource in our desert environment. While not effective as a regulatory approach to storm water master planning on a city-wide basis, water harvesting is recognized by technical experts who acknowledge that widespread, individual efforts to harvest rainfall could affect peak floods. They also recognize that individuals can help reduce storm water problems by capturing and reusing rain that falls on private property. It makes sense, for those of us who can, to capture and reuse runoff to water plants in our yards. If enough people practice water harvesting in city neighborhoods, it is possible that some urban flooding problems will be reduced.
Return to Storm Water Resource Center.