Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Nogales, Sonora - Flood Control Active

By Western Geographic Science Center March 19, 2018

Flooding in Ambos Nogales often exceeds the capacity of the channel and adjacent land areas, endangering people and property. Goals of rock detention structures (RDS) are to diminish impacts of flooding and sedimentation on wastewater infrastructure thereby reducing the incidence of sanitary sewer overflows. We are studying the Nogales Wash to prevent future flood disasters and RDS are being installed in tributaries. We applied the KINEROS2 model to understand the capacity of existing and potential detention features under various flood and urbanization scenarios.

Flooding in Ambos Nogales often exceeds the capacity of the channel and adjacent land areas, endangering people and property. Goals of RDS are to diminish impacts of flooding and sedimentation on wastewater infrastructure thereby reducing the incidence of sanitary sewer overflows. We are studying the Nogales Wash to prevent future flood disasters and RDS are being installed in tributaries. We applied the KINEROS2 model (www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/kineros/) to understand the capacity of existing and potential detention features under various flood and urbanization scenarios.

map of gabions installed in sub-watersheds
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Map of gabions installed in sub-watersheds(Public domain.)

Results depict a reduction in peak flow for the 10-year, 1-hour event based on current land use in tributaries with detention features (Fig. 1). However, model results also demonstrate that larger storm events and increasing urbanization will put a strain on the features and limit their effectiveness (Norman et al. 2010). Sediment loads are predicted to be trapped at dam locations, requiring regular maintenance to maintain capacity to detain water during flood events. Maintenance includes clearing debris, sediment buildup, and dead vegetation, structural maintenance of stone rip-rap, and vegetation regeneration on adjacent hillslopes.

Graph depicting flow with and without a dam during a 10-year, one-hour storm
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Figure 1. Graph depicting flow with and without a dam during a 10-year, one-hour storm(Public domain.)

PUBLICATIONS
Freimund, C. A., Garfin, G. M., Norman, L. M., Fisher, L. A., & Buizer, J. L. (2022). Flood resilience in paired US–Mexico border cities: A study of binational risk perceptions. Natural Hazards. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05225-x

Lara-Valencia, F., Garcia, M., Norman, L. M., Anides Morales, A., & Castellanos-Rubio, E. E. (2022). Integrating Urban Planning and Water Management Through Green Infrastructure in the United States-Mexico Border. Frontiers in Water, 4, 782922. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2022.782922

Norman, L. M., Huth, H., Levick, L., Shea Burns, I., Phillip Guertin, D., Lara-Valencia, F., & Semmens, D. (2010). Flood hazard awareness and hydrologic modelling at Ambos Nogales, United States-Mexico border: Flood hazard awareness and hydrologic modelling at Ambos Nogales. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 3(2), 151–165. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-318X.2010.01066.x

Norman, L. M., Levick, L. R., Guertin, D. P., Callegary, J. B., Quintanar Guadarrama, J., Zulema Gil Anaya, C., Prichard, A., Gray, F., Castellanos, E., Tepezano, E., Huth, H., Vandervoet, P., Rodriguez, S., Nunez, J., Atwood, D., Patricio Olivero Granillo, G., & Octavio Gastelum Ceballos, F. (2010). Nogales flood detention study. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report, 2010–1262, 112. https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20101262
  • Overview

    Flooding in Ambos Nogales often exceeds the capacity of the channel and adjacent land areas, endangering people and property. Goals of rock detention structures (RDS) are to diminish impacts of flooding and sedimentation on wastewater infrastructure thereby reducing the incidence of sanitary sewer overflows. We are studying the Nogales Wash to prevent future flood disasters and RDS are being installed in tributaries. We applied the KINEROS2 model to understand the capacity of existing and potential detention features under various flood and urbanization scenarios.

    Flooding in Ambos Nogales often exceeds the capacity of the channel and adjacent land areas, endangering people and property. Goals of RDS are to diminish impacts of flooding and sedimentation on wastewater infrastructure thereby reducing the incidence of sanitary sewer overflows. We are studying the Nogales Wash to prevent future flood disasters and RDS are being installed in tributaries. We applied the KINEROS2 model (www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/kineros/) to understand the capacity of existing and potential detention features under various flood and urbanization scenarios.

    map of gabions installed in sub-watersheds
    Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
    Map of gabions installed in sub-watersheds(Public domain.)

    Results depict a reduction in peak flow for the 10-year, 1-hour event based on current land use in tributaries with detention features (Fig. 1). However, model results also demonstrate that larger storm events and increasing urbanization will put a strain on the features and limit their effectiveness (Norman et al. 2010). Sediment loads are predicted to be trapped at dam locations, requiring regular maintenance to maintain capacity to detain water during flood events. Maintenance includes clearing debris, sediment buildup, and dead vegetation, structural maintenance of stone rip-rap, and vegetation regeneration on adjacent hillslopes.

    Graph depicting flow with and without a dam during a 10-year, one-hour storm
    Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
    Figure 1. Graph depicting flow with and without a dam during a 10-year, one-hour storm(Public domain.)

    PUBLICATIONS
    Freimund, C. A., Garfin, G. M., Norman, L. M., Fisher, L. A., & Buizer, J. L. (2022). Flood resilience in paired US–Mexico border cities: A study of binational risk perceptions. Natural Hazards. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05225-x

    Lara-Valencia, F., Garcia, M., Norman, L. M., Anides Morales, A., & Castellanos-Rubio, E. E. (2022). Integrating Urban Planning and Water Management Through Green Infrastructure in the United States-Mexico Border. Frontiers in Water, 4, 782922. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2022.782922

    Norman, L. M., Huth, H., Levick, L., Shea Burns, I., Phillip Guertin, D., Lara-Valencia, F., & Semmens, D. (2010). Flood hazard awareness and hydrologic modelling at Ambos Nogales, United States-Mexico border: Flood hazard awareness and hydrologic modelling at Ambos Nogales. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 3(2), 151–165. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-318X.2010.01066.x

    Norman, L. M., Levick, L. R., Guertin, D. P., Callegary, J. B., Quintanar Guadarrama, J., Zulema Gil Anaya, C., Prichard, A., Gray, F., Castellanos, E., Tepezano, E., Huth, H., Vandervoet, P., Rodriguez, S., Nunez, J., Atwood, D., Patricio Olivero Granillo, G., & Octavio Gastelum Ceballos, F. (2010). Nogales flood detention study. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report, 2010–1262, 112. https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20101262