2007/2008 Annual Report

k

Regional Flood
Control
D
istrict
k
Pima County, Arizona

Pima County Administration
					

2007/2008

Board of Supervisors
Ramón Valadez, Chair, District 2
Ann Day, District 1
Sharon Bronson, District 3
Raymond J. Carroll, District 4
Richard Elías, District 5
County Administrator
C.H. Huckelberry
Deputy County Administrator
Public Works
John M. Bernal
Director and Chief Engineer
Suzanne Shields
Deputy Director
Chris Cawein

Flood Control District
Advisory Committee
David Parker, Town of Oro Valley
Janice Hughes, District 4
Keith Brann, Town of Marana
Mike Zeller, Chair, City of Tucson
Andy Dinauer, City of Tucson
Justin Turner, District 3
Linwood Smith, City of Tucson
Joel Gastellum, City of South Tucson
Phil Pearthree, District 5
Doug Shakel, Vice Chair, District 1
Vacant, District 2
Robert Welch, Town of Sahuarita

Message
from the Chief Engineer

O

n behalf of the Board of Directors
of the Pima County Regional Flood
Control District, I am pleased to
present the District’s Annual Report
for fiscal year 2007/2008. The following
are a few of this year’s highlights, which are
described in more detail later in this report:
In 2006, we received record rainfall events
in June, July and August with 8.6 inches of
rainfall; two inches more than the average.
FEMA approved $8 million in funding for
emergency work and repair projects for the
flood damage. Construction of flood damage
repairs and the design of improvements for
the Pantano Wash continued in fiscal year
2007/08.
The District worked with the City of Tucson,
Town of Sahuarita, and Arizona State Land
Department on flood hazard mapping for the
Lee Moore Wash Basin Management Study.
This study is a multi-year comprehensive
study that estimates flood and erosion potential for the watershed, maps watercourses,
identifies existing and potential problems and
develops preliminary solutions and standards for sound floodplain and stormwater
management. The total watershed project
is approximately 213 square miles including
parts of unincorporated Pima County, the

City of Tucson, Town of Sahuarita, Coronado
National Forest and Arizona State Land.
Our Capital Improvement Program continues
to be successful resulting in the completion
of several flood safety projects:
Ajo Curley School Detention Basin for the
Community of Ajo to protect the downtown
business center;
Columbus Storm Drain project in which the
District cooperated with the City of Tucson
and provided $6.2 million; and
Swan Wetlands Environmental Restoration
Project along the Rillito River.
I hope you’ll take some time to read this
year’s annual report, which details our
programs, CIP projects and other District
activities. This year’s report and all previous
annual reports are also available at: www.
rfcd.pima.gov.
Suzanne Shields, P.E.

Chief Engineer and Director
Regional Flood Control District

Regional Flood Control District 		

				Pima County, Arizona
Vision

The District will continue to be a
leader in providing quality flood protection and floodplain management
services within Pima County.

Mission

The Pima County Regional Flood
Control District is a regional agency
whose mission is to protect the health,
safety, and welfare of Pima County
residents by providing comprehensive flood protection programs and
floodplain management services. These
services emphasize fiscal responsibility,
protection of natural resources, and a
balanced multi-objective approach to
managing regional watercourses, floodplains, and stormwater resources.

Overview
of the District
Establishment of the District

Drainageway Maintenance

To comply with federal law, the State of Arizona
passed the Floodplain Management Act of 1973.
This act authorized Arizona counties to adopt
rules and regulations concerning management
of floodplain areas. The Arizona State Legislature
subsequently authorized flood control districts
to levy taxes on real property to finance district
operating expenses. The Pima County Board
of Supervisors, which sits as the Pima County
Flood Control District Board of Directors (Board),
organized the Pima County Flood Control District
(District) on June 5, 1978. The District first became operational on July 1, 1978.
Provisions of state legislation also allow incorporated cities and towns within Pima County to
undertake their own floodplain management
duties and regulatory functions. In Pima County,
the incorporated areas of the City of Tucson, the
Town of Oro Valley, the Town of Marana, and
the Town of Sahuarita have elected to assume
floodplain management duties in their respective
jurisdictions. The District is responsible for floodplain management activities for the remainder of
unincorporated Pima County (with the exception
of national forests, parks, monuments, and Indian
Nations) and for the City of South Tucson.

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

5

Goals and Objectives
The goals and objectives of the District represent both flood control and resource
protection. The District’s approach varies from traditional flood control approaches
because of a multi-benefit public philosophy. The District recognizes that it is necessary and desirable to maintain a balanced relationship between human communities
and the land and resources that sustain them. To that end, the following policy goals
and objectives have been adopted by the Board as part of the District’s Floodplain and
Erosion Hazard Management Ordinance:
• Minimize flood and erosion damages.
• Meet or exceed state and federal
requirements relating to floodplain
management.
• Establish minimum flood protection 		
elevations and damage protection
requirements for structures and other
types of development.
• Regulate encroachment and building
development within areas subject to
flooding or erosion.
• Encourage the most effective
expenditures of public money for flood
control projects.

• Help maintain a stable tax base by
providing for the protection of regulatory flood and erosion hazard areas.
• Inform the public when property is in a
regulatory floodplain or erosion hazard
area.
• Encourage the preservation of natural
washes and enhancement of the 		
riverine environment.
• Emphasize overall watershed
management.
• Protect, preserve and enhance
groundwater recharge.

• Minimize damage to public facilities,
utilities and streets located in regulatory
floodplain and erosion hazard areas.

6

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

District Organization
Board
of Directors

Flood Control District
Advisory Committee

General Manager
(County Administrator)

Director
Public Works

Manager
Engineering Division

(Deputy County Administrator)

Manager
CIP/Project Delivery
Division
Chief Engineer
(Director)

Manager
Floodplain
Management Division

Deputy Director

Manager
Water Resources
Division

k

Manager
Planning and
Development Division
Manager
Infrastructure
Management Division

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

7

District Activities

Service Programs
Customer Service
The District encourages residents
to become familiar with flood related
hazards that may impact their properties or properties they are considering
for purchase. In order to assist in this
research, the District maintains an
abundant amount of information at our
customer service counter which includes
detailed hydrologic and hydraulic studies,
historic and current aerial photos, and
topographic information.
Residents may discuss any of this
information with a hydrologist who can
provide additional information regarding
any limitations on the property or requirements that may apply for proposed
improvements due to the extent of flooding or erosion hazards.

Floodplain Management also provides
an efficient Special Flood Hazard Area
Identification service. This information
is conveniently provided in writing via
a Flood Hazard Information Sheet. This
form identifies whether the property is
located in or out of the federal floodplain
and/or floodway and whether the structure is in or out of the floodplain. This
service can be provided at our customer
service counter. During 07/08 the District
created an online Flood Hazard Map
service. By going to http://rfcd.pima.gov/
fpm/hazrd.html a user can enter a parcel
id or address and download or print a
Flood Hazard Map.
Another customer service component
provided by Floodplain Management
includes performing field investigations in
response to constituent complaints and
concerns. Through these field investigations, Floodplain Management is able
to ensure that property owners are not
being adversely affected by improvements that they or their neighbors
construct, and can provide advice regarding improvements that can be made in
order to minimize the potential of flood
damage. If non-compliant improvements
are observed, Floodplain Management
personnel will proceed with compliance
enforcement actions.
Flood Protection Assistance

8

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

Floodplain Management
The goal of Floodplain Management is to
provide floodplain information, establish
development requirements and provide
assistance to Pima County residents with
drainage questions in order to minimize
the threat to life and property from flooding and erosion hazards. This includes
ensuring that any new development
within the floodplain is safe from flooding
and erosion hazards, does not adversely
impact adjacent properties, and maintains
the integrity of the floodplain.
Another important goal is protecting
natural resources within floodprone areas.
Floodplains typically support important riparian ecosystems and associated wildlife.
These riparian areas are also important
for their role in mitigating flood hazards by
maintaining stable flood flow conditions,
providing natural erosion control, as well
as promoting recharge into underground
aquifers. As such, it is beneficial to all
residents of Pima County that these critical
resources are protected and maintained.

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

One of the ways Floodplain Management
accomplishes these goals is by implementing floodplain regulations contained in
the Pima County Floodplain and Erosion
Hazard Management Ordinance (Ordinance). The Ordinance was developed to
conform to the National Flood Insurance
Program administered by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
which allows residents of Pima County to
purchase flood insurance. In addition, the
Ordinance includes provisions regarding
the construction of buildings and other
man-made structures within regulatory
floodplains. The Ordinance applies only
to those areas prone to flooding where
the peak discharge is 100 cubic feet per
second or greater, or prone to sheet
flooding. In other areas, the Ordinance
does not apply; however, other ordinances
may apply, such as the Grading Ordinance
administered by the Development Services
Department.

9

ALERT

One of our most used services is the
District’s Automated Local Evaluation in
Real Time (ALERT) system, which has
been providing precipitation and stream
flow data from a series of gauges located
throughout Pima County since 1981. The
ALERT system was established as part of
a three-way agreement with the National
Weather Service (NWS), the Arizona
Department of Water Resources and the
District. The ALERT system was initially
installed to provide advanced warning
of potential flood flows on the upper
Cañada del Oro watershed as a result
of the Golder Dam breach. Federal and
state financial assistance combined with
funding from the District has allowed us
to expand the ALERT system. The system
of gauges now covers most of the large
watersheds in eastern Pima County
and currently includes 93 precipitation
gauges, 36 stream gauges, and four
weather sites.

10

The precipitation gauges relay rainfall or
snowfall amounts and intensities, stream
gauges measure the depth of flow in
streams, and weather stations provide
precipitation information plus wind
speed, temperature, relative humidity
and barometric pressure. This network
of automated gauges transmits data in
real time using radio telemetry transmitted directly to the District, NWS, and the
Arizona Department of Water Resources
office in Phoenix. The NWS uses this data
to produce flash flood watches and warnings and to ground-truth radar estimates
of precipitation. District personnel utilize
the information to assist emergency
response agencies including the Pima
County Department of Transportation's
Maintenance Operations staff during
storm events. Data generated by these
sites may be viewed at the
District’s rfcd.pima.gov/wrd/alertsys/
index.htm

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

Internal Business Processes
Drainage Maintenance
Process Improvement
The Department of Transportation
Maintenance Operations and the newly
formed District Infrastructure Management divisions work together to resolve
drainage problems affecting public
infrastructure and safety. There are many
causes for drainage problems that staff
diligently works toward understanding
and correcting to ultimately prevent
future problems.
Process improvements enable better
communication between staff. Multidepartmental meetings are held to
resolve large watershed or development
problems, to improve drainage design
and construction methods for development projects, and to reduce maintenance needs and costs. These ongoing
discussions integrate small projects,
which remedy the smaller problems, with
capital improvement projects.
District GIS staff develops an integrated
land and infrastructure data structure
within the Counties multi-user geodatabase environment. When completed the
structure will store geometry representative of district maintained properties and
related infrastructure. Emphasizing document storage and retrieval the proposed
system will allow faster access to District
records via online maps and documents.

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

11

Management Programs

Lee Moore Wash Basin
Management Study
In Fiscal Year 2007/08, the District initiated the Lee Moore Wash Basin Management
Study to identify the regulatory flood and erosion hazards within the watershed and
develop alternatives to address those hazards. This study, one of the largest planning
efforts ever undertaken by the District, is a comprehensive study that estimates flood
and erosion potential for the watershed, maps watercourses, identifies existing and
potential future problems and develops preliminary solutions and standards for sound
floodplain and stormwater management.
The Lee Moore Wash basin was selected for this study based on the high-level of development activity that is expected to occur in this watershed over the next few decades.
The total project watershed is approximately 213 square miles including parts of unincorporated Pima County, the City of Tucson, Town of Sahuarita, Coronado National
Forest and Arizona State Land.
During the past year’s effort to collect data, known flooding hazards were identified
including researching historical flooding data and current land use plans, map floodplains, as well as soliciting input from stakeholders and the public.
Based on this information, the District has formulated a floodplain management approach consisting of structural and non-structural alternative solutions to reduce or
eliminate flooding hazards and erosion. Those alternatives will be further compared
and evaluated to develop a set of preferred alternatives during the next fiscal year.
The comprehensive basin management study is expected to be
completed in the fall of 2009.
Upon completion, the District
will have a comprehensive assessment of flood and erosion
hazards and, once implemented,
the strategies in the plan should
reduce damage to property, loss
of life from drainage issues and
stormwater flooding.
Lee Moore Wash Basin

12

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

Water Resources and Riparian
Habitat Management

This program consists of activities intended to prevent flooding, erosion and riparian habitat
loss by means other than constructing structural flood control improvements. The District
promotes and supports regional riparian restoration with the intent that it will result in some
level of recovery of natural functions within riverine systems.
Mitigation Guideline Revisions
The Floodplain and Erosion Hazard Management Ordinance (Ordinance) requires compensatory mitigation for disturbances to regulated riparian habitat. The Regulated Riparian
Habitat Mitigation Standards and Implementation Guidelines (Guidelines) were developed
as a supplement to Ordinance Number 1999-FC1 to provide guidance for applicants going
through the mitigation process. Since its inception in 1994, the riparian protection regulations of the Ordinance have been revised twice, first in 1998 (Number 1999-FC1) and again
in 2005 (Number 2005-FC2). In a continuing effort to meet the goals of the Ordinance and
to ensure that requirements are being met, the District began revising the Guidelines in FY
2007-08 to make them more responsive to the modifications incorporated into Ordinance.
The District selected a project team to conduct technical studies which would determine the
effectiveness of the current Guidelines, study offsite mitigation opportunities, and assist them
with the public participation process. Because of the complexity of offsite mitigation issues,
the revision process was split into two efforts, revision of the Onsite Mitigation Guidelines
and development of an Offsite Mitigation Program.
Public participation is an essential aspect in revising the onsite Guidelines and development
of the offsite mitigation program. The Mitigation Working Group (MWG) was created to assist
the District in the process of revising the Guidelines, and members were selected to represent
a broad spectrum of the community.
MWG Members
• Southern Arizona Home Builders
Association (SAHBA)
• Tucson Audubon Society
• Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection
• Rincon Institute

•
•
•
•
•

American Society of Landscape Architects
Metropolitan Pima Alliance
Westland Resources
Diamond Ventures
Pima County Resident

A series of MWG meetings were held in FY 2007-08. These occurred on July 17, 2007, August
29, 2007 and November 14, 2007, focusing on revising the onsite guidelines. The revisions to
the Guidelines were not completed at the end of FY 2007-08 and are continuing.
Information regarding this effort can be viewed at: http://rfcd.pima.gov/wrd/riparian/stdsrevision.htm. The webpage will be periodically updated throughout the revision process to
include MWG meeting agendas and minutes, presentations, progress, and other information
relating to the development process.
RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

13

“Habitat loss contributes to flooding erosion hazards.”

“Healthy habitat absorbs floodwater.”

14

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

National Flood Insurance Program
Map Modernization
The national response to flood disasters
prior to 1968 was to install dams, levees,
and seawalls; however, this approach failed
to reduce flood losses. Flood victims were
often left destitute because homeowners and
business owners could not purchase private
flood insurance. Insurers were either unwilling to offer flood insurance or premiums
were too costly—consequently flood disaster
costs and the number of flood victims continued to increase over time.
In 1968, Congress created the National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP). The three basic
goals of the program are to:
1) Promote sound floodplain management to
reduce future flood losses, 2) Provide flood
insurance, and 3) Identify flood hazards
and create floodplain mapping. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
identifies flood hazard areas by publishing
Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). The first
FIRMs for Pima County became effective in
1983, however, revising the FIRMs to accurately reflect flood hazards is a never-ending
process. Watercourses move and watersheds
change over time, so the maps are continually being updated.

Digital FEMA
Data

After the devastating flooding occurred from
Hurricane Katrina due to the failure of the levees that protected the city of New Orleans,
FEMA developed strict levee design and
maintenance standards. To meet these new
RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

FEMA standards, in fiscal year 2007/08, the
District undertook improvement efforts. The
levees were analyzed for flood resistance
(the ability to withstand the hydraulic and
hydrostatic forces of floods), freeboard (the
height of the levee above the 100-year flood
level), interior drainage (the ability to drain
the area behind the levee), and embankment
foundation stability (levees must be designed
to address slumping, settling and rotation).
The District also rewrote the Operations and
Maintenance Plan for levees to address both
routine inspections and flood responses.
During the levee assessment period, additional maintenance issues were resolved
including the replacement of erosion
protection, repairs to flap gates and in some
locations additional freeboard was added to
ensure levee integrity during major floods.
Levees are critical flood control structures.
A levee is a type of dam that runs along the
bank of a river and is designed to hold back
flood waters from low lying areas. There are
10 levee systems maintained by the District:
• The Lower Santa Cruz River Levee in 		
Marana
• Big Wash Levee, Canada Del Oro Wash
Levee, Rams Canyon Levee, and Canyon
Shadows Levee in Oro Valley,
• Santa Cruz Levee at Grant Road, and the
Roger Road Sewage Treatment Plant Levee
in the City of Tucson, and
• Sotomayor Ranch Levee, Mission West 		
Floodwall, and Riverside Crossing Levee in
the unincorporated areas.

15

Sotomayor Ranch Levee

Lower Santa Cruz Levee

16

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

Community Rating System:
Pima County a Top 3% Community
The Community Rating System (CRS) is
a voluntary incentive program that rates
local communities participating in the
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
who are interested in providing a level
of service that is above and beyond the
minimum NFIP requirements. Participating communities receive discounted flood
insurance premium rates in increments of
5%. For example, a Class 1 community,
whose service is considerably above the
minimum, would receive a 45% premium
discount, while a Class 9 community
whose service is nominally above the
minimum would receive a 5% discount.
A Class 10 community only meets the
minimum level required, which in turn

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

would not receive a discount for their
constituents.
The CRS classes for local communities are
based on 18 activities and are organized
under four categories: 1) Public Information, 2) Mapping and Regulations, 3)
Flood Damage Reduction, and 4) Flood
Preparedness.
In recognition of the excellent level of
floodplain management performed by the
District, Pima County is a Class 5 Community, which yields a 25% discount in flood
insurance premiums for our constituents.
Pima County ranks in the top 3% of all
participating communities nationwide.

17

Floodprone Land Acquisition Program
FLAP provides relocation assistance to property owners and purchases flood damaged
land, whether it is improved property or vacant land. Specific criteria used to rank FLAP
applications and determine eligibility include the extent of flood damage or severity
of potential flood and erosion hazards on the property. The highest priority is given to
improved properties that have or may suffer significant damage as a result of flooding.
This program is completely voluntary and is designed to assist property owners who
are likely to experience, or have experienced, flooding which resulted in severe damage and flood hazards. The community also benefits from these acquisitions, which
increase open space for overbank storage, enhance groundwater recharge, and provide riparian habitat preservation, wildlife corridors, passive recreation opportunities
and protects cultural resources. FLAP also protects emergency responders and county
resources from harm by reducing potential rescue needs.
Additional grant monies to purchase additional floodprone and damaged property
became available after subsequent disasters because Pima County had an established
floodprone land acquisition program.

Before Flood

After Acquisition

18

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

In 1986, after voters approved general obligation bond sales of $20 million for floodprone land acquisition, a land acquisition plan was adopted by the Pima County Board
of Supervisors outlining criteria to guide the District’s overall acquisition efforts and allow the dedication of tax levy revenues to be used for acquisition of floodprone lands.
This newly adopted plan aided in the expansion of the program to include purchasing
undeveloped land to prevent future floodplain development in sensitive riparian areas
and to meet the open space goals of the community.
In fiscal year 2007/2008 the District spent $1,558,225 and added 190.05 acres of land
to the FLAP inventory bringing the total of District-owned property to 9,431 acres at a
cost of $62,911,860 since the program’s inception.

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

19

Capital Improvements Program
Fiscal Year
July 1, 2007-June 30, 2008
CIP No.

Project Name

Completion Date

Total Cost

FC-04-502

Ajo Curley School Detention Basin

May 1, 2008

$1,440,193

FC-04-502

Green Valley Erosion Control Phase II

December 1, 2007

FC-04-502

Columbus Wash Phase II Drainage Improvement

May 1, 2008

$11,000,000

FC-03-002

Navajo Wash: Oracle Rd. to Mountain Ave.

June 15, 2008

$267,418

FC-03-002

Camino Verde Box Culvert

February 28, 2008

$866,322

FC-03-002

Carmack Wash at Shannon Road

July 16, 2007

$119,800

FC-92-004

Highland Wash

December 31,2007

$969,330

FC-04-001

Canada del Oro Flood Hazard
Mitigation Project (FEMA Grant)

June 9, 2008

$1,758,370

4FRRSW

Swan Wetlands Ecosystem Restoration

April 2008

$4,000,000

TOTAL			

$1,234,630

$21,656,063

Ajo Curley School Detention Basin
The town of Ajo experienced a severe flood on July 29, 2003 that flooded homes and
businesses along Gibson Arroyo and the tributaries located south of Gibson Arroyo. To
reduce future flood problems in the town of Ajo, the Curley School Detention Basin has
been developed and constructed on the largest sub-water shed to the tributaries. The
4-acre site was undeveloped lands that had previously served as the football field for
the old and now abandoned Curley School. The Curley School detention basin reduces
a peak flow of flood waters during a 100-year event. Construction of the project was
performed by Rummell Construction at a cost of approximately $875,000. Work began
in February 2008 and was completed ahead of schedule on May 1, 2008. The project
design was done by DMJM Harris.

20

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

Swan Wetlands Ecosystem Restoration Project
Phase 2 of the Swan Wetlands project consists of land surface and stormwater channel
recontouring to enhance passive water harvesting, and planting with native vegetation. Construction was started in September, 2007 and was completed in April, 2008.
Project cost was shared with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at a 75%/25% ratio.
Total project cost was approximately $4 million of which $1 million was from the Flood
Control District Tax Levy.

Swan Wetlands Area 3 before recontouring and
vegetation planting

Swan Wetlands Area 3 after recontouring and
vegetation planting

Columbus Wash Phase II Drainage Improvement
The Columbus Wash Storm Drain project Phase II consisted of constructing a major
storm drain between Speedway Boulevard and 5th Street. The City of Tucson started
construction of Phase II in February 2007 and the construction was completed in May
2008 at a total construction cost of $11 million, of which $4.4 million was from the
2004 General Obligation Bonds FC5.02 Urban Drainage and $2.0 million from the
Flood Control District Tax Levy. The remainder of the funds came from the City of
Tucson Drainage Bonds.

*Per $100 assessed value

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

21

District Financial Overview
Flood Control District Tax
Levy Rate 1981 to 2008
Fiscal
Year
Ending

*Levy
Rate

Tax

1981.............................0.5143......................$4,637,000
1982............................0.4683......................$5,342,000
1983............................0.5072......................$6,882,000
1984............................0.4739......................$7,652,000
1985............................0.5269......................$9,243,000
1986............................0.5102..................... $9,969,000
1987.............................0.5346.....................$11,713,000
1988............................0.7630....................$17,272,000
1989............................0.5592....................$13,730,000
1990............................0.5985....................$14,663,000
1991.............................0.5985....................$14,058,000
1992............................0.5871................... $13,689,000
1993............................0.5871....................$13,767,000
1994............................0.5398....................$12,678,000
1995............................0.4623.................... $11,379,000

Revenues
Although the District receives assistance from
state and federal agencies to construct major
capital facilities, most of the District’s funding
is generated from the property tax levy along
with general obligation bond sales authorized
by the electorate. Information on the District
tax levy rate is shown in the table at left

Expenditures
The table on Page 18 provides information
on capital project expenditures for projects
completed during Fiscal Year 2007/08. The remainder of District expenditures goes toward
debt service and operating expenses, which
include funds allocated for maintenance of
flood control structures, floodplain management, planning and administration activities.

1996............................0.3596......................$9,368,000
1997.............................0.3596......................$9,467,000
1998............................0.3296....................$10,392,000
1999............................0.3246.....................$10,411,000
2000............................0.3046.....................$10,327,151
2001............................0.3046.....................$10,414,427
2002............................0.3546..................... $13,713,102
2003............................0.3546....................$14,467,389
2004............................0.3546....................$14,467,389
2005............................0.3546....................$14,467,389
2006............................0.3746....................$19,720,839
2007............................0.3746................... $22,620,303
2008............................0.3446....................$25,331,448

22

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

Financial Highlights

Fiscal Year 2007/2008
Revenues
The primary source of revenue is the District’s
secondary property tax levy of $0.3446 per
$100 of real property assessed valuation
(this figure represents a drop in the rate
from $0.3746 in FY 2006/2007). In 2007/08,
the District received approximately $25.3
million dollars in tax levy revenue. Other
local sources of revenue include revenue
for capital improvements from the sale of
general obligation (GO) bonds ($6.9M) and
reimbursements for other funds ($1.3 M). The
total revenue from all sources in FY 2007/08
was $33.6 million.
Property Tax RFCD
Bond Proceeds
Federal Participation
Interest and other

$25,331,448
6,916,851
918,943
393,906
$33,561,148

75.5%
20.6%
2.7%
1.2%
100.0%

Expenditures

The total expenditures for the District in FY
2007/08 were approximately $39.0 million.
The Capital Improvement Program expenditures of nearly $23.5 million were direct
capital expenses. The annual operating budget for the District was approximately $14.7
million. The other significant expenditure was
$837,000 for debt service on flood control
bonds and our contribution tothe Pima Association of Government.
Capital Improvements
Operating Budget
Debt Service, PAG

$23,492,953
14,698,771
837,961
$39,029,685

60.2%
37.7%
2,1%
100.0%

Breakdown of Expenditures
Capital Improvements

The expenditures for capital improvements
include engineering service costs for
planning and design; construction costs;
right-of-way acquisition costs; and other costs
such as preparing new FEMA Flood Insurance
Rate Maps once a capital project is completed.
The Corps also began construction on Arroyo
Chico – Cherry Field Detention Basin in July
2007 and is anticipated to be completed in
December 2008. The federal dollars contributed to this project totals $19,400,000.

Planning
Design
ROW Acq & Imps
Construction
Other

6.1%
10.9%
16.3%
66.5%
.2%
100.0%

Operating Budget

The District’s operating budget includes administrative, personnel, supplies and service
costs associated with Flood Control Support,
Flood Prevention and Riparian Protection.
Flood Control Support Services include
programs such as customer service, permits,
public education, and financial management.
Flood Prevention Services include maintenance, flood warning, emergency preparedness, and enforcement activities. Riparian
Protection Services include the environmental
restoration, water resources and riparian
habitat management programs.
FC Support Services
Flood Prevention
Riparian Protection

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

$1,442,762
2,568,863
3,829,002
15,623,449
28,887
$23,492,963

$4,572,630
8,668.168
1,457,971
$ 14,698,769

31.1%
59.0%
9.9%
100.0%

23

Coordination

A

with other gencies

Pima County Department
of Transportation
The District contracts with Pima
County for services from divisions
within the Department of
Transportation:
• Field Engineering Division
• Maintenance Operations
		Division

Federal Government

Local Governments

The District has entered into
intergovernmental agreements
(IGAs) to provide specific flood
control or floodplain management
services to, or to jointly fund flood
control activities with, the
following:
• City of Tucson

• Real Property Division

• City of South Tucson

• Technical Services Division

• Town of Oro Valley

• Administrative Services Division

• Town of Marana

The District cooperates with other
Pima County Departments on
various projects and exchanges
information as needed:
• Pima County Attorney’s Office
• Development Services
		Department
• Department of
		Environmental Quality
• Health Department
• Natural Resources, Parks
		 and Recreation Department
• Tucson-Pima County Office
		 of Emergency Management
• Regional Wastewater
		 Reclamation Department
		(RWRD)

• U. S. Natural Resource
		 Conservation Service (NRCS)
• National Weather Service
		(NWS)

PAG facilitates coordination among
local government agencies, including the District, on environmental
matters affecting the community.

The District coordinates activities
with the following state agencies:
• Arizona Department of
		 Water Resources (ADWR)
• Arizona Department of
		 Environmental Quality (ADEQ)
• Arizona Game and Fish (AGFD)
• Arizona State Land Department

• Federal Emergency Manage		 ment Agency (FEMA)

• U. S. Bureau of Reclamation
		(USBR)

Pima Association of
Governments (PAG)

State Agencies

• U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
		(USACOE)

• Federal Highway Administration
		(FHWA)

• Town of Sahuarita

Other Pima County
Departments

Several federal agencies participate in local flood control projects,
as listed below:

• U. S. Geological Survey (USGS)
• U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
		(USFWS)

Nongovernmental
Organizations
Other nongovernmental agencies
that the District works with
include:
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
• Cortaro-Marana Irrigation
		 District (CMID)
• Central Arizona Water 		
		 Conservation District (CAWCD)
• Metropolitan Domestic Water
		 Improvement District (MDWID)
• University of Arizona (UA)

24

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

Pima County Regional Flood Control District
97 East Congress Street • 3rd Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701-1797
Design and layout by Pima County Communications Department

RFCD 2007/2008 Annual Report

25