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Experts on lookout for fissures in Queen Creek

Lynh Bui
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 7, 2007 12:33 PM

Studying fissures in the Queen Creek area is a top priority for the Arizona Geological Survey.

The Geological Survey released maps earlier this week that plot the location of all known fissures in Maricopa, Pinal, Pima and Cochise counties.

The next step: Geologists are zooming in on clusters of fissures to provide more detailed information to help planners steer development.

Officials hope the maps will be used as planning tools to prevent homes, roads and other development from being built around the geologic formations that open in heavy rains and can cause structural damage.

In 2005, a 1.5-mile long fissure south of Queen Creek expanded from monsoon rains, leaving homeowners in the area with cracked driveways and sinking foundations. The incident pushed the Arizona State Legislature to pass a bill that provided funding to the Arizona Geological Survey to create a map compiling the location of all the known fissures in the state.

"If a fissure occurs in the desert and there's no one living on it, it's not a problem," said Lee Allison, state geologist and director of the Arizona Geological Survey. "It's when you build roads, homes, electrical lines, and pipelines near them where you have the risk of them opening to a rainstorm and causing damage to the infrastructure."

The first priority is the Chandler Heights area in Queen Creek near the Maricopa and Pinal county line, Allison said.

"We're glad we have these maps because we can now provide them to the development community," said Tom Conditt, the community development director for Queen Creek. "We're doing everything we can as new development comes in to make sure the proper studies are done and take proper care around the fissures."

The proposed West Goldmine Mountain subdivision has a fissure running right down the middle of the development.

Developers had originally planned to build 14 lots on 15 acres of land, but new proposals show that number has been cut to seven to build around the fissure.

Conditt said the town is looking forward to the more detailed maps that focus on the Queen Creek area.

Fissures have taken the spotlight more recently as former farmland gets paved over with new growth and development.

A few homeowners in Pinal County have filed lawsuits against real estate agents and others to seek money for damages fissures have caused to their homes.

The recently released maps are available on the Arizona Geological Survey's Web site so homeowners, buyers, developers, real estate agents, planners and other members of the public can locate fissures in relation to their properties.

Visit www.azgs.az.gov