The Hassayampa River Study
Assessing Low Impact Development for Stormwater Management
Image: Chloe Killian, USBR Resource Assistant Intern, Hassayampa River desert region
The WRRC is pleased to feature the following article, prepared by Deborah Tosline RG/PMP, Hydrologist/Program Manager, US Bureau of Reclamation.
The use of nature-based practices may potentially be used to augment community water supplies.
In 2020, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the City of Buckeye, Arizona (Buckeye) partnered on the Hassayampa River Study (Study). The Study investigates the impacts of theoretical use of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and conventional stormwater infrastructure (CSI) to manage stormwater in a regional watershed and hypothetical development within Buckeye, on an alluvial fan on the west side of the White Tank Mountains. The Study models the use of theoretical GSI and CSI to assess stormwater management, assesses GSI operations and maintenance (O&M) practices and costs, completes an economic analysis of GSI and CSI, and develops a City of Buckeye Low Impact Design Manual and a high-level conceptual water budget. Buckeye is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Arizona, and in the entire United States. Buckeye’s General Plan – Imagine Buckeye 2040 – supports an innovative, healthy, and resilient community while being good stewards of natural resources, open spaces, and overall quality of life. Use of GSI for stormwater management in the arid southwest is a burgeoning practice. Buckeye, like other communities, is interested in identifying, understanding, and potentially implementing nature-based stormwater management solutions.