Voters in 1986 approved a quarter cent sales tax to fund construction of regional flood control facilities.
As of June 2013, a total of $1.7 bill was spent on flood control, including construction of 90 detention basins and approximately 581 miles of channels and underground storm drains.
The belief is that these structures will control the flow of water when there is storm runoff and reduce flooding in areas below the basins and near the channels and washes.
This is causing many new home buyers to deal with damage or severe runoff on local streets which are used as flood channels when other facilities are not available.
In February 2005, the southwest part of the Vegas Valley was hard hit by flooding from the mountain rainfall runoff.
Higher than average precipitation that same winter was responsible for significant damage in Mesquite and Overton which, as of that point in time, had not received much attention since their populations were so much smaller than the Las Vegas valley area.