TAYLOR, AZ — Stantec, a global design, engineering, and consulting firm, recently completed a comprehensive drainage project for the town of Taylor, Arizona’s Taylor Rodeo Grounds in partnership with Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA).

Located in Navajo County, the economy of Taylor is, in part, supported by its rodeo grounds, which do not currently have proper drainage. In recent years when storms have occurred, the arena has been subject to excessive flooding. Once the rainfall has ceased, the water does not drain properly and causes the arena to be inaccessible for long periods of time, including during the facility’s recent Fourth of July celebration. To address this, Stantec provided drainage system design and flood mitigation services to help minimize the impact of storm events on the rodeo’s operations for the town’s more than 4,000 residents.

Stantec performed an analysis of the existing drainage conditions of the arena to determine the issues that were likely causing excessive flooding. The team used a two-dimensional rainfall model to observe and evaluate a range of storm impacts to the arena, identifying the source of offsite flows. Ultimately, the team designed a drainage system that could be easily maintained to ensure proper drainage without investing in additional maintenance tools and equipment. The V-shaped channel was designed to divert water away from the arena to a future retention site north of the rodeo grounds.

“It’s exciting to see this project reach completion,” said Zach Whitten, a Project Engineer, based in Stantec’s Phoenix office. “The rodeo is one of the main economic cogs for the town of Taylor, and it’s a rewarding experience to know that our work made a real difference. Working alongside the town of Taylor and EWB has been an incredibly humbling experience for our collective team.”

While Engineers Without Borders operates globally, this project is part of EWB-USA’s domestic Community Engineering Corps (CECorps) program. Stantec is helping to pilot the integration of corporate teams to further the program’s goal of bringing underserved communities and volunteers together to advance local infrastructure solutions in the United States. Community-driven projects vary in scale and duration, with focus areas of expertise in water supply and sanitation, waste management, civil works, structures, energy, mechanical, and agriculture. Stantec has been engaged with EWB-USA since 2012.

"Every community deserves reliable infrastructure — it’s key to the quality of people’s lives,” said Clare Haas Claveau, CECorps Program Director. “Unfortunately, many low-income communities miss out on vital infrastructure projects. Through CECorps we can identify and engage volunteers from our member and corporate partners and equip them to support communities otherwise unable to obtain engineering services.”

Stantec provided geotechnical services, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, engineering and design, and project management on the Taylor Rodeo Park project. Stantec’s Phoenix office led the project with collaboration from employees across the United States.