The Floodplain Management Act of 1973 authorized Arizona counties to adopt rules and regulations concerning management of floodplain areas. The Pima County Board of Supervisors, which sits as the Pima County Flood Control District Board of Directors, organized the Pima County Flood Control District on June 5, 1978. The District is responsible for floodplain management activities for unincorporated areas in Pima County (with the exception of national forests, parks, monuments, and Indian Nations) and for the City of South Tucson.

This paper provides a capsule perspective on the lessons economists have learned from investigating growth and income gaps across countries. After providing the lessons for growth and development across countries, the paper asks whether these lessons can be extended to growth and income differentials between regions or states of the United States. It should be stressed that applying to regional growth what is known about country growth is partly untested at this time, and hence merely suggestive.

This paper complements a detailed assessment of job quality, based on analysis of industrial and occupational mix, recently completed by the Seidman Institute’s Center for Business Research. The overall conclusions in this report are consistent with those of the more extensive CBR research. Arizona’s economy grows very rapidly, but per person or per worker measures of wages, compensation, incomes, and gross state product are below the national average. No evidence exists that the situation is improving appreciably (or deteriorating). Indeed, the state appears to be creating income, wealth and quality jobs at rates that are similar to those displayed by other states. Arizona is a job-generating marvel and is among the nation’s leaders in aggregate growth. If the state is successful at improving the quality of its labor force and creating higher-quality jobs, its per worker and per person comparisons will improve.

The Flecha Caida study area encompasses approximately eight square miles of the foothill region of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The three major washes studied include Finger Rock Wash, Valley View Wash, and Flecha Caida Wash. One tributary (Sky Club Wash) to the Valley View Wash and three tributaries to the Finger Rock Wash were also included in this study.