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Congress approves post-wildfire disaster relief funding for Coconino County Flood District

The Pipeline Fire on the San Francisco Peaks was first reported June 12, 2022 and eventually burned more than 26,000 acres.
Melissa Sevigny/KNAU
The Pipeline Fire on the San Francisco Peaks was first reported June 12, 2022 and eventually burned more than 26,000 acres.

Congress this week acted to approve the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill. It includes funding for federal programs that support post-wildfire watershed restoration and flood mitigation.

The legislation includes about $50 million for two projects approved by the Coconino County Flood Control District on the Emergency Watershed Protection Program Project Waitlist.

The funds will be used to provide flood mitigation in six neighborhoods within the Schultz/Pipeline Flood Area.

Another $210 million for post-wildfire disaster relief funding through the U.S. Forest Service has also been approved. The Forest Service had requested more than $310 million.

In June of 2022, the Pipeline Fire burned more than 26,000 acres on the east and west flanks of the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff. Subsequent monsoon rainfall resulted in 45 major flood events this past summer.