Clean up in Centennial Wash

Clean up operations are almost complete in the Centennial Wash that runs through the rural town of Wenden, Arizona. La Paz County Public Works spent several weeks cleaning up overgrown brush and trees that clogged the wash and contributed to flooding in the community of Wenden. “Our crews made quick work of the overgrown areas and this should really help mitigate future flooding,” said Holly Irwin, Supervisor for District 3. “This is a long time coming for the residents in Wenden. One of my toughest challenges in my district was working on getting this wash cleared for them. The water is still going to run during big storms but should stay within the banks of the wash instead of spreading out into the town.”

Centennial Wash flooded into Wenden twice in the past 10 years, most recently in January 2010. The land through which Centennial Wash runs is either private land, owned by the City of Phoenix, or under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers. Following the flood in 2010 Supervisor Irwin approached City of Phoenix and the Army Corps of Engineers to see about clearing their sections of the wash. The city had previously cleared some brush but Supervisor Irwin was concerned that more clearing needed to be done to prevent future flooding. After numerous meetings with City of Phoenix, the Army Corps of Engineers and state legislatures, a partnership was formed in which La Paz County would be reimbursed for clearing remaining portions of the wash that run through City of Phoenix property. The clearing was done at no additional cost to the county. Private land owners also cleared overgrown brush from their property.

McMullen Valley Fire Department will be conducting a control burn on the piles of overgrown brush that the county cleared. La Paz County would like to thank the private land owners and agencies that cleared their respective portions of the wash including: City of Phoenix, Army Corps of Engineers, Arizona Department of Transportation, Rail America INC., former State Senator Amanda Aguirre and State Representative Lynne Pancrazzi.