Rawhide Wash just earned Scottsdale some serious bragging rights. The city's Rawhide Wash Flood Hazard Mitigation Project has been named the American Public Works Association's 2026 Public Works Project of the Year, capping off a multi-year effort that beefed up levees, raised floodwalls and rebuilt crossings along roughly 1.6 miles of wash. City officials say the work significantly cut flood risk and helped pull hundreds of properties out of FEMA's mapped floodplain.
National recognition and local impact
According to the City of Scottsdale, the $30 million project removed nearly 1,900 acres from the FEMA floodplain and eliminated the federal requirement for flood insurance on hundreds of affected properties. The city reports that design work kicked off in 2020, construction followed in 2022, and crews wrapped up on schedule in March 2025. Funding came through a regional cost share, with about 57.5% covered by the Maricopa County Flood Control District, 34% by the City of Phoenix and 8.5% by Scottsdale.
Engineering and regional partnership
The Maricopa County Flood Control District project page notes that the work will remove more than 850 homes and buildings from the mapped special flood hazard area. The improvements run from Pinnacle Peak Road to roughly one half mile north of Happy Valley Road. JE Fuller, the project's lead design firm, reports that its team handled the hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, levee and floodwall design, sediment analysis and FEMA Conditional Letter of Map Revision preparation as part of the region's engineering effort.
What homeowners should know
Local reporting from AZFamily quoted project managers urging homeowners not to rush to cancel their flood policies just yet. They advised residents to keep flood insurance in place until FEMA issues an official Letter of Map Revision, a process that can take many months. Once FEMA's updated maps become effective, lenders and property owners will be able to reassess flood coverage needs and, in many cases, see meaningful reductions in required premiums.
Why it matters
The award shines a spotlight on a regional approach to storm resilience that leaned on low impact construction techniques, including native plant salvage and rock filled gabion erosion control, to protect desert habitat while improving public safety. “This award recognizes what can be achieved through strong regional partnerships and a shared commitment to protecting our community,” City Manager Greg Caton said. According to the City of Scottsdale, the project team will pick up the Arizona chapter award this month, then head to APWA's PWX conference in Texas in August to receive the national plaque.
