Arid Lands Ambos Nogales - Can Rocks reduce flooding?

Creating a binational sponge city in the desert: Flooding in the binational cities at Ambos Nogales on the Arizona-Sonora portion of the US-Mexico border has caused damage, ruined livelihoods and taken lives for hundreds of years. New research suggests that flooding can be detained using low-tech, nature-based solutions, like natural infrastructure in dryland streams (NIDS), rock detention structures and green infrastructure.

This video describes a 20-year effort to identify and mitigate flood risk, by slowing and reducing stormwater runoff and protecting floodplains for disproportionately vulnerable communities. Working with the citizens, city, county, state, and federal managers, the USGS employs actionable science, geospatial analyses, and watershed models that address problems and inform decision-making on both sides of the border. The result is a growing binational ‘sponge city’ that uses nature-based solutions to reduce flooding, filter polluted stormwater, and create more green space that everyone can enjoy.