There are a few areas in and around Sedona that are known to flood when heavy rains hit the area. One of those areas is along Back O’ Beyond Road off State Route 179.
The city of Sedona is in the process of addressing that long-standing issue. During the Tuesday, July 27, Sedona City Council meeting, council approved and intergovernmental agreement between the city and the Yavapai County Flood Control District. The county will contribute $300,000 in drainage funds to be used for the Stormwater Master Plan Update and design of the Back O’ Beyond Crossing Drainage Improvements Project.
“This project will develop improvements for public road ingress and egress for the Cathedral Rock Trailhead parking area and some private residential parcels,” City Engineer Andy Dickey said after the meeting. “During large monsoon storms, this area is routinely isolated. One low-water crossing will be improved to allow stormwater to pass under the roadway.”
This fiscal year, $125,000 is budgeted for design only. The other flood control funding for this year is for the storm water master plan update.
“We don’t have scope or estimates developed at this point,” he said in terms of the overall costs of the project.
Phase 3 of the Stormwater Master Plan update will be the final phase of this project, a city report states. It will include updating the city’s local floodplain delineations/maps and public outreached based on those findings. The city currently uses floodplain maps from a study that was performed by the Soil Conservation Service in 1994.
“Given the construction of multiple large storm drainage projects and development projects that have taken place over the past 27 years, this final phase of the Master Plan is important,” the report states.
The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to approve this IGA at its Aug. 4 meeting.
