History of the Flood Control District

Agua Fria at Broadway Road, Avondale, AZ '65–'66 Flood Aerial photography courtesy of Arizona Department of Transportation

The District was formed by the Arizona Legislature in 1959 in response to significant flooding events that plagued Maricopa County during its early history. In its first year of operation, the District had three employees. Today, more than 200 employees provide flood control services and flood hazard education to the approximately 3.8 million residents of the County.

Initially the District focused on building dams (flood retarding structures), basins and channels to prevent flooding. Unprecedented population growth and development in the County since the 1990s, however, shifted the District’s emphasis to: 1) dynamic flood education programs to inform citizens about flood hazards; 2) the identification of specific hazard areas so County residents will make informed decisions about where to build; and 3) the control of development that directly impacts waterways through a mandated drainage administration and floodplain management regulation program.

In its history, the District has facilitated the planning, design and construction of 80 flood control structures throughout the more than 9,000 square miles of Maricopa County. These structures include 22 dams, 45 acres of basins, 35 acres of mitigation, 41 miles of lined channels and 81 miles of unlined channels. The District is also responsible for monitoring 300 automatic rain gages, 150 automatic stream gages and 30 automatic weather stations throughout Maricopa and neighboring counties.

Below are some important milestones in Flood Control District history: