PHOENIX — Flooding can happen anywhere in Maricopa County but there are some areas that have a higher risk of flooding than others. Those areas are known as floodplains.
Floodplains occur next to washes, rivers, wetlands, lakes, coastal areas, and man-made features like canals, levees, berms, roads, or railroads.
In these areas, flooding happens when runoff from rain does not soak into the ground or evaporate.
There are ways to find out if you live in a floodplain.
Maricopa County has mapped out thousands of miles of floodplains and compiled them into an interactive map online here.
