Arizona republican., 1921-09-06
First City Manager Of Phoenix
 Writes Of Flood Control Plans

w. A. Parish. for many years a civil engineer of this valley and the first city manager of Phoenix, writes from Los Angeles regarding the Cave Creek improvement which was under consideration 30 years ago as it is now. MT. Parish also gives a history of the Cave Creek floods and sug- gests means of controlling them: To the Editor:
 Like the renowned MT. Hennessey. see by the papers Cave Creek has gone on the rampage and poured flood of muddy water over the ranch es, north, south and west of Phoenix and into parts of that city to it's detriment and damage.
 I also note by the papers another move is on foot to take measures that will effectually prevent Cave Creek from duplicating the per- formance in the future. One would gather the impression that Cave Creek floods are the exception rath- CT than the rule, and occur only at | long periods, while the reverse is true, as I can testify from personal knowledge of the valley extending from New Years day of 1889. During
 rainy seasons when the precipita-
 ton is heavy, floods occur in Cave [ V and covered the lands south of the
 Arizona canal. The building of the | Arizona canal in the eighties inter- fered with this regime, and although the floods damaged the lands placed lin cultivation Gas the towns of 1 Glendale and Peoria existed at the time principally in name only) the damage was not serious enough to
 attract attention and, as the ma
 jority of the land went back to the ! desert in a few years for lack of
 water, Cave Creek, when so disposed, continued to spread it's floods over
 the land at its own sweet will and pleasure as it had done from time
 immemorial. without causing com
 ment or noticeable excitement. It would sometimes send down a flood
 and follow with another in six or eight hours to be sure of wetting any land sighted or overlooked in the first instance. This was particularly true in February, 1891, when Salt
 River invaded Phoenix. As the con-
 ditions described above existed at the time, Cave Creek and it's actions linconvenienced no one, except a few optimistic pioneers trying to exist
 under the Arizona canal and persons like myself who attempted to reach town from the north during clear spells between the showers of the storm.
 After the grade of the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix railway was
 constructed in the early nineties T Cave Creek forced itself upon the at
 tention of the valley in the role of a
 bad actor. The flood waters cross ing the Arizona canal and spreading over the lands south of that ditch
 were checked and turned by the rail- road grade on the south side oi |. Grand avenue, down that thorough fare in 8 concentrated stream into
 the Capitol addition to Phoenix. The
 first flood after the completion of the railroad created a great deal of ex- . citement as many people were picked out of trees in the early dawn, where , they had ben for hours, having takeI I refuge when the water struck during ' the early part of the preceding night The damage done by storm watel . from Cave Creek became greater witi } succeeding floods as the improve l ment and growth that came to tn, valley upon the completion of tn, Granite Reef dam increased, until i was recognized as factor tha