Arizona Oddities

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Your Guides
  • Departments
    • Art
    • Dose of History
    • Culture
    • Natural Surroundings
    • Odd Observations
    • Weather Talk
    • Food & Dining
    • Small Town Scene
    • Recreation
    • Only in Arizona
  • Get the Books
  • Contact Us

logo

Arizona Oddities

  • Home
  • Your Guides
  • Departments
    • Art
    • Dose of History
    • Culture
    • Natural Surroundings
    • Odd Observations
    • Weather Talk
    • Food & Dining
    • Small Town Scene
    • Recreation
    • Only in Arizona
  • Get the Books
  • Contact Us
Natural SurroundingsSmall Town SceneSouthern ArizonaWeather Talk
Home›Natural Surroundings›Clifton Flood Gate (Almost) Put to the Test

Clifton Flood Gate (Almost) Put to the Test

By Sam Lowe
October 13, 2013
3511
0

CLIFTON — The folks in Clifton have finally seen their flood gate in action, but nobody’s certain even yet whether or not it will hold back the waters.

Flood gate in Clifton. Photo Credit: Sam Lowe

Flood gate in Clifton. Photo Credit: Sam Lowe

After the San Francisco River overran its banks and flooded the community twice in the 1970s and again in 1983, the Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Arizona developed a levee system  to serve as flood control. But there was a problem — the levee had to cross State Route 75, which is Clifton’s main street.

So the agencies authorized construction of a huge gate that would be open most of the time, but would be closed whenever the river runs wild again. The gate is a work of art, standing about 12 feet tall and 25 feet across, and designed to resemble the surrounding mountainous landscape. The only time it was put into action, however, was during routine maintenance drills. But on Sept. 15, heavy rains caused the river to rise again, so the gate was closed as a necessary precaution for the first time.

So, did it work?

They’re still not sure. The water level rose, but it was still two feet short of reaching the gate. Therefore, the gate has still never been tested under actual flood conditions.

(Visited 981 times, 1 visits today)

Related Posts:

  1. Artistic Flood Prevention in Clifton
  2. Old Clifton Jail: A Real Hole-in-the-Wall
  3. Longhorn Grill, an Epic Curiosity in Southern Arizona, Shuts Down
  4. The Story of Teresa Urrea, Mexican Healer and Miracle Worker
  5. The Concrete Iron Man of Bisbee
Tagsartcliftonweather

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Arizona Oddities Archive

Most Popular Posts

  • How to Keep Scorpions Away from Your Home
  • How to Keep Javelinas Away from Your Yard
  • What’s With All the Backyard Concrete-Block Fences…
  • How Often Does a Century Plant Bloom?
  • Did You Know it’s Against the Law to Grow…

This Week Past Years

2018

  • From Hideaway to Mass Grave: Apache Death Cave Near Winslow

2017

  • Does OdySea Aquarium Have the Best Restroom in America?

2015

  • Pancho Villa Leaves a Mark in Douglas?

2013

  • Paradise & Eden: Nice Places to Live but not to Die For

2012

  • Black Canyon City Artist Transformed Gasoline Storage Tanks into Sculptures
  • Look! It's a Tractorsicle!

2011

  • Ocean Monsters in Arizona Deserts
  • Miniature Mount Rushmore and King Kong at Freedom Station

2010

  • Navajo Legend of Monument Valley

2009

  • The Cowboy Mystique (Pt. 3): A Cowboy Isn't a Cowboy Without His Horse
  • Quartzsite's Legend of A Camel Driver
  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Find a Famous Writer and Explorer's Mountain Retreat in Greer

    Find a Famous Writer and Explorer’s Historic Mountain Retreat in Greer

    By Taylor Haynes
    July 31, 2020
  • thousands of Mexican free tail bats make Phoenix tunnel their summer home

    Thousands of Mexican Free-Tail Bats Make Phoenix Tunnel Their Summer Home

    By Taylor Haynes
    July 17, 2020
  • How to Keep Scorpions Away from Your Home

    By Andrea Aker
    January 3, 2011
  • Javelina

    How to Keep Javelinas Away from Your Yard

    By Andrea Aker
    November 23, 2011
  • Phil Motta
    on
    August 27, 2021

    Why Does Downtown Phoenix Seem to Have Two Downtowns?

    I know this post ...
  • Carol
    on
    October 17, 2020

    The Tucson Artifacts are the Southwest’s Greatest Hoax

    lol ... these "clues" ...

Follow us

© Copyright 2009 – 2023 Aker Ink, LLC :: Arizona Oddities is published by Aker Ink.