A public flood plain map revised by the Maricopa County Flood Control District in 2012 reflected wider swaths of land along a key wash in Wickenburg that received massive flooding Saturday night, indicating that the damage caused by Saturday night's torrential rainstorm wasn't a complete surprise.
However, some longtime homeowners living in the flood plain said they never imagined the flood waters would rise so high, so quickly.
Wickenburg resident Dennis Hill questioned Saturday night whether government officials should have been better prepared for the floods. Hill said he had repeatedly attempted to convince town and county leaders in recent years to build flood-prevention infrastructure in the natural wash and to keep the area clear of dangerous debris.
"Nobody wants to step up and make it right, to take the time to look at the issue and fix it," Hill said, whose parents' home was flooded Saturday night for the second time in two years.
Wickenburg town manager Josh Wright said there are many factors involved in maintenance of the Powder House wash.
"I think It's actually a more complex question than simply maintenance," Wright said, noting that the wash intersects through public and private property. "It's going to take multiple parties, private and public to figure out how to correct that because the water courses change over time."
The flood plain revisions were part of a nationwide review of flood insurance maps. The changes along the Powderhouse Wash that meanders through town and joins with the Hasayampa River bed, included 10 additional parcels with an estimated 15 structures on them, according to maps provided by Maricopa County.
A Maricopa County Flood District spokesperson says the county does not have ownership of natural flood washes.
"We identify hazards associated with natural washes in the county so that people can purchase flood insurance but we do not do maintenance on natural washes," said Jennifer Pokorski, ombudsman for the flood district.
However, Pokorski said when areas are identified that are repeatedly flooded, the county builds structures to prevent future flooding.
