Biden administration awards $15.5M to Arizona county for post-wildfire flood control

PHOENIX – A northern Arizona county is getting $15.5 million in federal funding to mitigate post-wildfire flood damage, the Biden administration announced Thursday.

Coconino County received the funding to make improvements to the drainage system along U.S. Highway 89.

Wildfires have made the area more susceptible to flooding that threatens homes and businesses and forces highway closures. The Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation are disproportionately impacted by the flood threat, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Arizona funding is part of $830 million in grants for 80 projects aimed at toughening the nation’s aging infrastructure against the harmful impacts of climate change.

How is Biden administration funding Arizona flood control project?

The funds come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021 and add to other funding already flowing to states for similar projects.

President Joe Biden has earmarked more than $50 billion toward climate-related projects through the infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act. He has emphasized the importance of climate resilience and adaptation as he seeks a second term.

“We have seen far too many examples of transportation infrastructure being shut down or damaged by extreme weather, which is more extreme and more frequent in this time of climate change,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a call with reporters ahead of the announcement. “America’s infrastructure was not built for the climate that we have today, and the consequences of this are very real and being felt by people in every part of the country.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow @kstonezone