Alert system could help tribe, tourists in Grand Canyon
Without many river or rain gauges upstream from the village of Supai, forecasters can have a tough time determining when flood waters might reach the remote community — home to the Havasupai Tribe and an area popular with hikers because of the towering blue-green waterfalls nearby.
Forecasters rely on a radar system to estimate the rainfall, but Supai is well to the northwest of the radar, and while the estimates are good at times "they're not perfect," said George Howard, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Flagstaff.
"The idea is, let's take some of the uncertainty out of this with the prospect of locating a gauge in a strategic position so we can time things more precisely," Howard said.
Thunderstorms late last month sent a rush of water down Havasu Creek and led to the evacuation of hundreds of people who had to be airlifted from the canyon. Some trails and footbridges were washed out and trees uprooted. Authorities said Supai appeared to have sustained only minor damage from the storms.
The canyon is accessibly only by foot, helicopter or mule, making it crucial to have as much of a heads-up as possible when floods are approaching so that people can seek higher ground.
Former Bureau of Indian Affairs superintendent Bob McNichols said a system had been designed in response to floods on the reservation in the early 1990s, but it never was installed. "I don't know exactly why it wasn't," he said. "There is a real need for it."
Havasupai officials have declined to comment, saying they are focused on recovery.
Heavy runoff in 1993 caused the collapse of several livestock tanks and small earthen dams in Cataract Canyon — which changes names downstream to Havasu Canyon. The riparian vegetation that survived a flood the year before was damaged again in an area downstream from Mooney Falls — one of several waterfalls that cascade into blue-green waters.
Only a few young trees and grasses remained adjacent to the creek following the 1993 flood, according to a report by the USGS on historical flooding in Havasu Creek.
Cassandra Anderson, Arizona flood warning coordinator, said the state has plans to reach out to tribes to help link them to a statewide flood warning network, but she wasn't sure of the timeframe.
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A gauge upstream? It is a dry wash upstream from the village.…
Floods all the time | Sept. 2, 2008 at 11:41 a.m.
