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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A Pima County official told 13 Investigates an upstream levee tied to a planned housing development on the northeast side is FEMA certified.
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FEMA says it is not.
Flood control is central to the Casita Village at La Mariposa project. Before the project moved ahead, the City of Tucson consulted with Pima County Flood Control.
Eric Shepp, the Director of Pima County Flood Control, said manmade improvements in the area include the Houghton Road Bridge, the Tanque Verde Road Bridge, a levee and other flood control infrastructure upstream.
When asked if the levee is FEMA certified, Shepp said it is.
What FEMA certification means
County officials have been describing flood protection connected to the proposed Casita Village development as FEMA certified. That term carries weight. It signals federally recognized flood protection, something that can influence flood maps, development decisions and how the public understands risk.
Neighbors and independent experts have challenged that claim for years.
Tom Adang lives in the impacted neighborhood. He said he has never believed it was a FEMA-certified levee.
“It certainly has an impact on the safety and how much flooding you’ll have in that area and that’s been the heart of the disagreement,” Adang said.
Neighbors raise concerns
For Jane Rojas, the flooding risk is real. Floodwaters once reached nearly three feet deep on parts of her property. She said after years of back-and-forth with local officials, neighbors took their concerns directly to FEMA.
Rojas said neighbors told FEMA the information is incorrect, but the agency was not active getting back to them because of the federal government shutdown at the time.
13 Investigates sent an email to FEMA and the agency sent a response stating it has not certified any upstream flood-control structure affecting Casita Village as a levee. That includes a section of Houghton Road constructed higher to channel stormwater runoff.
It means FEMA does not recognize those structures as levees meeting federal standards.
13 Investigates presses county for clarification
13 Investigates showed that response to County Administrator Carmine DeBonis, who oversees Pima County Flood Control, and pressed him for clarification on the discrepancy.
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DeBonis said the levee does provide benefits to the area. He said there is a levee structure along the Agua Caliente that is north of Tanque Verde and east of Houghton that has been certified, according to the Regional Flood Control District.
When asked if it is FEMA-certified, DeBonis said, “I think that’s a great follow-up question, Valerie. And so what I understand from the Flood Control District is that the levee is certified. Now, whom certified it, we can follow up and get that information to you.”
When told that using the term FEMA certified could mislead the public about safety, DeBonis said, “I think it warrants clarity, right? So that we can say specifically who certified what and that what effects that has on the floodplain in this particular area. I think that’s important and a valid question.”
FEMA says local communities need to clearly spell out what flood protections are actually being used in flood-risk decisions.
County officials say the Casita Village project can still be built safely under current floodplain standards. But neighbors argue the public still deserves a clear answer to a basic question: what flood protections actually apply to this site?
You can watch previous coverage here:
ON RISKY GROUND: Critics claim ‘someone could die’ over Tucson’s use of outdated rainfall, flood data
ON RISKY GROUND: Tucson neighborhood fights city hall over ‘dangerous’ flood risks
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