AhwatukeeFoothillsStormReport

DRAFT

Summary
AspartoftheAhwatukeeFoothillsAreaDrainageMasterStudy(ADMS),thestudyteamconductedan
analysisoftheSeptember8,2014storm,whichgeneratedheavyrainfallthroughoutArizonaandthe
southwesternU.S.ThestormwasaresultofahurricanethatoriginatedoffthewesterncoastofMexico.
Whilethestormfollowedatypicalsummermonsoonweatherpattern,theadditionalmoistureandstrength
fromthestormcausedheavierrainfallthannormal.
WhileitrainedheavilythroughoutMaricopaCounty,theamountofrainfallvariedgreatlyfromahighof6
inchesinpartsofMesaandChandlerto3.3inchesatSkyHarborAirport.Thestormbroketheprevious
totalrainfallrecordfortheregion,andresultedinsomeoftheworstfloodingseenintheValleysince1970.
Thestormdatacollectedwillbeusedtohelpensuretheaccuracyofthehydrologicmodelingcurrently
underwaytopredicthowstormwaterwillflowandcollectthroughoutthestudyarea.Oncethemodelingis
complete,wewillpresentanddiscusstheresultswiththecommunitytodeterminethepotentialrisksto
thecommunityfromfutureflooding.
BelowisasummaryofthestormssignificanceandimpactstotheAhwatukeecommunity.

SignificanceoftheStorm
Basedontherainfalllevelsrecorded,whichvariedfrom3to5inchesinthestudyarea,thiswasa100year
to1,000yearstormeventintheAhwatukeecommunitydependingontheareainotherwords,astorm
witha1%orlesschanceofrecurringinanygivenyear.Regionalfloodcontrolmeasuresaregenerally
designedtoprotectagainsta100yearstorm.

RainfallLevels
RainfallwasmeasuredatthethreeDistrictrainfallgages,locatedintheeasternportionofthecommunity.
Thefollowingtotalrainfallmeasurementsduringtheeighthourstormwerecapturedatthesegages:
1. SouthMountainPark(nearElliotand24thStreet)3.25inches
2. PecosPark(PecosRoadand48thStreet,milesouthwestofI10andL202)5inches
3. WarnerRoadand44thStreet(approximatelymilesouthwest)4.5inches
Therearenoraingagesinthewesternportionofthecommunity;however,basedonradarinformation,itis
likelythewesternportionofthecommunityreceivedsimilarrainfallasthePecosParkarea.
OnSeptember8,rainfallwasrecordedbeginningaround2a.m.andcontinuedsporadicallywith
intermittentperiodsoflullsandintenserainfalluntilabout10a.m.Thereweretwothreehourbreaks
betweentheperiodsofheaviestrainfall.Thesebreaksallowedthestormwatertoclearthroughthe
communitysstormdrainagesystems.Hadthesameamountofrainfallenduringashortertimeframe
withoutabreak,thefloodingimpactstothecommunitywouldlikelyhavebeenmoresevere.
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Thegraphbelowillustratesthetotaldailyrainfallrecordedateachofthesegages.
6.00

TotalPrecipitation[Inches]

5.00

4.00

3.00

2.00

SouthMountainPark
PecosBasin
Ahwatukee

1.00

0130
0150
0210
2030
0250
0310
0330
0350
0410
0430
0450
0510
0530
0550
0610
0630
0650
0710
0730
0750
0810
0830
0850
0910
0930
0950
1010

0.00

1.00

Time[Hr:Mn]

AccumulatedrainfallatallgageswithinAhwatukeeFoothillswatershed

StreamFlow
Inadditiontoraingages,therearealsothreestreamflowgageswithinthestudyarea,whichmeasurethe
depthandvelocityofstormwater.Thesegagesandarelocatedonthethreechannelsthatdirect
stormwaterthroughoutthestudyareatotheregionalretentionbasinatPecosPark.Thechannelsdirecting
waterfromtheeastandwestarelocatedalongtheADOTfreewayrightofway;thechannelfromthenorth
follows48thStreet.
ThepeakdepthofwatermeasuredatthePecosParkbasinwas17feet;thedepthvariedatdifferentareas
ofthebasinbecauseitisterraced.Basedonthisdepth,thePecosParkbasincollected190acrefeetof
water,oralittlemorethanhalfthetotalstoragecapacityofthebasinof351acrefeet.
Asthestormprogressed,thestreamgagescapturedwaterdischargerangingfrom200cubicfeetpersecond
(cfs)atapproximately2:30a.m.,toahighof500cfsatbetween7:00and9:30a.m.Thisisthetotalamount
ofwaterthatpassedthroughthechannelwithinonesecond.Acubicfootofwaterisaboutthesizeofa
basketballandistheequivalentofapproximately7.5gallons,meaningthewaterflowinthechannels
rangedfromapproximately1,5003,750gallonspersecond.
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StreetFlooding
Thestormfloodedseveralmajorandlocalstreets,resultinginclosuresandlimitedaccessinsomelocations.

StreetClosures
Severalmajorarterialstreetswereclosedduetofloodingincluding:

48thStreetnorthofElliotRoad
40thStreetbetweenChandlerBoulevardandPecosRoad
MountainParkwayatRanchCircleRoad
51stStreetnorthofWarnerRoad
36thStreetsouthofKnoxRoad

StreetswithLimitedAccess
Inadditiontoroadclosures,therewereanumberofmajorroadwaysandintersectionswithlimitedaccess,
including:

IntersectionofChandlerBoulevardand51stStreet
48thStreetatThistleLandingwhereadetentionbasinovertopped
SegmentsofChandlerBoulevard,RayRoadandElliotRoad

Itisimportanttonotethatthestreetsaredesignedtoconveyadditionalstormwaterfromdrainage
facilities.

40thStreetclosuresouthofChandlerBoulevard
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StructuralFlooding
In addition to street flooding, storm water runoff caused structural flooding of several homes and
businesses.Thestudyteamconductedsitevisitsofthefollowing:

TheSafeway,locatedonthesoutheastcornerof40thStreetandChandlerBoulevard,experienced
floodinginsidethestore,duetodebrisblockingthegrateofalargedrainagestructureupstream.A
shortwallaroundthestoreparkinglotcausedthewatertoberetainedontheproperty,causingup
to5inchesofwaterinsidethestore.
MountainParkChurchnear24thStreetandPecosRoadexperiencedsignificantfloodinginsidethe
churchamphitheater.Representativesreportedthatachannellocatedadjacenttotheeastsideof
thechurchovertoppeditsbankscausingwatertobuildupagainstthebackdoorofthechurchuntil
itbuckled,allowingstormwaterinside,andfloodingtheinsideoftheamphitheaterareaseveral
feet.

ThePecosCommunitycenternearPecosand48thStreetwasalsofloodedandclosed.Severalother
businessesandhomeownersinthestudyareaalsoreportedflooddamagetotheirproperties.

OtherDamage
Floodingalsocauseddamagetosomeoftheregionalstormwatercontrolstructuresthrougherosionof
embankments,washingawayoflargerocksthatprotectandlinethechannel,anddamagetostructural
walls.TheDistrictwillberepairingthedamagetothesestructures,andwillusethedatacollectedfromthis
storminthestudysmodelingtodetermineifthesestructuresareadequatelysized.

FloodinginSafewayparkinglot
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