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PHOENIX — On Wednesday, Nov. 28, residents of the Heatherbrae neighborhood in Maryvale gathered with Maricopa County District 5 Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox and officials from the Flood Control District of Maricopa County (District) and City of Phoenix to dedicate the second of four segments of the Bethany Home/Grand Canal Flood Control Project.
This $12.5 million joint project between the District and the City of Phoenix has constructed an 18-acre detention basin, landscaped with grass, trees and crushed granite, to detain floodwater while channeling it to the west into the Agua Fria River. The project helps to provide flood protection from a 100-year storm (one percent chance of occurrence in one year) for residents living along the north side of the Grand Canal between Camelback and Indian School roads from 73rd Avenue to 67th Avenue. A concrete, multi-use recreational path for area residents winds through the basin and connects to a trail system along the Grand Canal through the city of Glendale.
Supervisor Wilcox was enthusiastic about the future prospects for the area. "We are now in a renaissance of Maryvale," she said in her opening remarks. "When you see a beautiful project like this which enhances a neighborhood, that is what we are about. No longer does the county say we will protect you but not give you anything else. We try to combine both flood control and amenities for the economic well-being of the area, and we do this in partnership with our cities," said Wilcox.
The entire five-mile-long flood control project parallels the Grand Canal from the Loop 101 freeway at Bethany Home Road to 64th Avenue and Indian School Road in Phoenix. This comprehensive project has been a long time coming, remarked Tim Phillips, the District's general manager and chief engineer. Originally proposed by the District in 1962 as the Maryvale-Glendale Drain, the project was delayed to make way for other flood control projects throughout the county. The project finally commenced in 1999 and will be fully completed in approximately 2012.
Historically, homes and businesses along the north side of the Grand Canal have experienced repeated inundation by floodwater ponding up against the northern bank of the canal. To make room for the newly dedicated flood control detention basin, 72 homes were bought out and removed, and those home sites used to construct the basin. When fully completed, the Bethany Home/Grand Canal Flood Control Project will eliminate a floodplain for 750 homes, beautify neighborhoods along the Grand Canal, and provide numerous multi-use recreational opportunities including walking/biking paths, equestrian areas and picnic ramadas.
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