LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — July 8, 1999 marked one of the most destructive flash flood events in Las Vegas history, and now—26 years later—the Clark County Regional Flood Control District (RFCD) is working to try and prevent flooding like that from happening again in Southern Nevada, by getting ready to break ground on their latest storm drain improvement project in the valley.
The images from archival Channel 13 footage from 1999 are breathtaking, showing countless washed-out streets, several airborne rescues and floodwater blanketing all corners of the Las Vegas valley.
WATCH | Guy Tannenbaum speaks to RFCD Deputy General Manager about investment in storm drains and channels
In total, the floods 26 years ago killed two people and caused more than $20 million in damage, including to 369 homes.
Archive footage shows severe flooding in Las Vegas 26 years ago, on July 8, 1999
Preventing more catastrophic flood damage like that is the mission for the RFCD.
"You think of those massive floods that happened years ago—in the 26 years since we've built project by project, little by little, and basically what that does is give us a big connected storm drain or regional network that now we can tie into and drain that water somewhere," said RFCD Deputy General Manager Brian Rowley.
While it definitely still floods in the valley, we don't see dramatic images like we saw in 1999 nearly as often these days.
That's partly because over the last three or four decades, the Flood Control District has invested more than $2 billion to create more than 700 miles of storm drains and channels and 111 detention basins.
"It's hard to say 'We solved Mother Nature, that's why it's not flooding anymore,'" Rowley said with a chuckle. "But when you actually take a step back and look at the engineering and construction, we have certainly improved the situation drastically."
The Flood Control District's latest undertaking with the City of Las Vegas is the last phase of their multi-year Charleston Storm Drain Project.
With a $49 million price tag, the project's aim is to reduce flooding on Charleston between the Arts District and Maryland Parkway by installing new storm drains and improving water and sewer infrastructure in the area.
This latest installment is set to take two years, and when it's all said and done, the entire Charleston Storm Drain will connect with the rest of the RFCD system and stretch from Downtown Las Vegas to Boulder Highway, funneling flood water to the Las Vegas Wash and beyond.
While more construction will likely be a headache in the short term, local businesses in the area told Channel 13 at the city's public outreach meeting on Tuesday that they're looking forward to the project's long-term benefits.
"In the six years that I've been at the museum, and in the seven years we've been open, we've seen that a couple of times—where flood water comes up off of Charleston and into our parking lot," Richard Hunter, General Manager of Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum. "It is nice to know that that potential concern is going to be mitigated, even though it doesn't happen too often."
Making a historically flood-prone area safer is the goal of the city and the Flood Control District.
"If that flood is gone and we don't see the same thing on Charleston, then I feel like we can all feel like we've done our job," Rowley said.
Construction on the two-year Charleston Storm Drain Project is set to get underway in the next month or so.
Representatives from the City of Las Vegas have told Channel 13 they will go door to door to businesses on Charleston ahead of construction getting underway in the coming weeks, in order to notify them of any potential impacts to their business.
For detailed information about the project and to view a projected timeline, visit the City of Las Vegas website by clicking here.
Members of the community with questions about the Charleston Storm Drain Project are encouraged to call (702) 938-5413 or email info@charlestonstormdrain.com.
