Stormwater Maintenance

What We Do

Flagstaff’s Stormwater Section maintains the system to keep our community safe before, during and after rain events. 

  • Staff includes engineers, hydrologists, planners and field inspectors and skilled workers
  • Maintain 28 miles of major streams and washes, with 120 miles of smaller channels, including ditches and streams
  • Keep 86 miles of closed channels, including culverts and storm pipes cleaning and draining well
  • Recent flood events have demanded a higher level of service throughout our community. Learn more about those needs in the Flagstaff Open Channel Maintenance Needs Report.

Calendar Year 2022 Open Channel Maintenance Summary

Calendar Year 2021 Open Channel Maintenance Summary

Calendar Year 2020 Open Channel Maintenance Summary


Where it Happens

Open channel dashboard Feb 16 2022[1374]Underground Stormwater dashboard Feb 16 2022[1375]

The above are maps of Open and Closed Channel maintenance work thus far in Fiscal Year 2022.  In April 2020, the City transferred Stormwater Maintenance from the Streets to the Water Services Division (WSD). Since then, Stormwater has borrowed staff from Wastewater Collection crews, who were reassigned to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. The wrenches show the number of closed maintenance jobs staff has done, cleaning nearly 800 catch basins, drains, and culverts since July 2021!

What We’re Up Against

MVIMG_20200724_162659

The 2019 Museum Fire has burdened our system because stormwater runoff brings ash and additional debris from the burn scar areas. Stormwater staff focuses on preparing the Spruce Avenue wash for rain events. Stormwater staff serve as Flood Directors as part of the Museum Flood Area Emergency Alert Process.

Before and After downtown


How We Do It

For a full-screen view, click the box with the arrow in the bottom right-hand corner of the map, or visit the full sized map. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here are some tips for using this interactive map! Learn about Closed and Open Channel Maintenance projects happening around Flagstaff by clicking on various points located in the second and third tabs of the map. 

Understanding the Icons in upper right-hand corner of the Closed and Open Channel Maintenance tabs:

  1. Magnify glass - Zoom in and pan across the map to see if there has been any work done in your neighborhood
  2. Home button - Zooms out to the initial map extent to see all of Flagstaff
  3. Middle icon - The Legend is where you can see what the different points and lines are on the map
  4. Sandwich Layer icon - Allows you to turn on and off the various layers (water courses, lakes, watersheds)
  5. The 4 square - Allows you to change the basemap to see different imagery