Moccasin Wash Culvert

Date Completed: April 2014
Cost: $1,400,000

The community of Moccasin, Arizona is located in the northeast corner of the county, and is the home for a few hundred residents who enjoy a quiet lifestyle in a picturesque location. However, the peaceful lifestyle was dramatically disrupted in July of 2013 when several large storms caused erosive flows in the wash that crosses the only access road into the community and into the nearby Paiute Reservation farms. The storm runoff in the wash eroded a 50 foot deep canyon that worked its way upstream to Main Street and destroyed the concrete box culvert that has served the community for many years. The culvert was already scheduled to be replaced with a larger culvert designed by the engineering consultant, Coe and Van Loo Engineers, but the storm made the schedule critical for the now isolated community.

Using emergency funds approved by the Board of Supervisors, the project was redesigned to meet the new conditions on the ground, and the contractor, Perco Rock, was given notice to proceed with the construction of a 10-foot high, 20-foot wide concrete box culvert and a large soil cement drop structure and energy dissipation structure. The construction cost, including the contingency funds for the redesign, is approximately 1.4 million dollars which will be paid for by a 50%-50% split between Mohave County Public Works and the Mohave County Flood Control District.

The project utilizes 9,000 cubic yards of soil cement, 15,000 cubic yards of excavation, 900 tons of cement, waterline replacement and a 1,200-foot long temporary detour road. Construction is anticipated to be complete in April of 2014.