In the 10 days between Aug. 10 and Aug. 19, Fountain Hills received eight days with measurable rainfall totaling 5.87 inches. That takes the monsoon total in July and August to well over 10 inches.

One storm late Friday, Aug. 13, brought about 2 inches of precipitation within a period of less than one hour. That storm, along with over 2 inches on Aug. 11, has left the Town of Fountain Hills in a bit of a scramble to clean up streets, keep storm drains clear and wash flows under control.

It was the wash flows that got a bit out of hand on Friday the 13th.

Public Works Director Justin Weldy said he received an alert from the Maricopa County Flood Control District that the detention dams at Golden Eagle Park and on Hesperus Wash near Richwood Avenue and Teepee Drive were at 10 percent capacity, the trigger point for activating in case of a potential emergency related to flooding.

Weldy said he rounded up his available staff and contacted the contractors the town uses for emergency clean-up. The rain subsided enough for crews to begin the clean-up in the early hours of Saturday morning. When daylight arrived, they were back out on the streets.

“We had sediment hazards on arterial streets, collectors and minor collectors and had some residential streets to address,” Weldy said.

They moved the sediment piles to the side of the road for later pick-up and used sweepers on the streets. The contractors were out with vacuums and power brooms to clear storm drains and ditches, and this work continued through the weekend.

Weldy said at one location they used pumps to clear the street of water that settled there.

Another inch of rain fell through the weekend. By Monday morning, the Town was receiving calls from homeowners who were reporting flooding issues with there property and water in their homes. Town Manager Grady Miller reported to the Town Council on Tuesday evening that up to a dozen residents had called.

Weldy said the citizen issues were scattered in all parts of the Town. He said he and Town Engineer David Janover visited each of the homes to assess the situation and offer advice where they could.

One of the bigger projects facing the Town is shoring up Ashbrook Wash between Hampstead Drive and Fountain Hills Blvd. There was significant scouring due to the rapid flow through the wash that, in one case, the soil was washed out up to within a foot or two of a home.

Weldy said they built a “coffer dam” to channel flow through the wash. They are restoring the north bank of Ashbrook Wash and will reinforce it with heavy boulders.

Weldy said they will continue working on the clean-up and repair through normal daylight hours and make sure storm drains are cleared.

In the meantime, there is still another five weeks until the official Weather Service end date for the monsoon, and in recent years storm activity has been strong through September and even into October.