Imperial Palace (now The Linq) was built directly on top of Flamingo Wash, which flows from west to east when flooded.
Below is a photo of Flamingo wash in its more natural state, c. 1961-62:
The most notable flood was July 3, 1975, when 400 cars piled up in the Caesars Palace parking lot from Flamingo Wash flooding.
Photos below:
An undated photo below shows Flamingo Wash on the western side of Las Vegas Blvd. The viaduct spans the wash, which flows under street level to Imperial Palace property.
Why the wash has not been re-routed:
Quote:
And flooding still happens, of course. The parking garage at the Linq, formerly the Imperial Palace, continues to be a challenge. “The Flamingo Wash essentially drains right into their parking garage,” Parrish says. “It’s something we would like to fix, but it’s a difficult problem to solve because you’d have to raze the building.”
When Harrah’s Entertainment acquired the Imperial Palace in 2005, its then chairman, Gary Loveman, told investors the hotel may be torn down to make room for expansions of adjacent properties. Parrish hoped this would allow for installation of proper flood control drainage. But then the Great Recession hit, and the company opted to refurbish the aging resort instead. To this day, when the flood district detects a big storm coming, its first warning call goes to the Linq, which has well-established procedures to close the parking garage until the storm passes.
Below is Linq garage flooding: