WEST Consultants Begins Update of Town's Drainage Plan
WEST Consultants (WEST), hired by the Town in October to update Prescott Valley’s Master Drainage Plan, has begun low level soil sampling to obtain the information necessary to complete existing conditions models. WEST provides specialized water resources engineering services. The Drainage Plan update will include mitigating nuisance flooding and harvesting floodwaters for groundwater recharge.

Existing conditions models are being developed to account for the Town’s current land use, to identify areas of concern, and to develop recommended solutions to be incorporated into the Town’s capital improvement program. Soil health is being explored as one approach to correct flooding issues and infiltrate stormwater runoff throughout the Town’s watersheds.

The desire is for Prescott Valley to use Town-owned open space and rights-of-way to provide both local and regional flood mitigation along with stormwater recharge. The update will look to identify smaller projects with consideration for soil health and other treatments that can capture rainfall before it becomes runoff. WEST Consultants will investigate the costs for such projects by the end of March 2023 so the Town can budget money or seek grants for future projects.

When complete, the update will help the Town move forward on improving flood control while finding new ways to recharge water. The process will soon include two public meetings, dates to be determined, to bring the community into the decision making process.