Projects
Overview
In 2008, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality launched its Targeted Watershed Improvement Plan Grant Program (WIP) to address specific pollutants causing impairments within targeted drainage areas. The WIP program focuses on identifying and prioritizing water quality improvement projects that are critical to restore water quality. Prescott Creeks, an environmental non-profit organization, was a recipient of a WIP Grant for the Upper Granite Creek Watershed located in the highlands of Central Arizona. Click here to read the ADEQ Press Release.
Project Goals
- To identify the primary sources of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and E. coli in the watershed and
- To establish a plan to implement projects that will reduce these pollutant concentrations so that water quality standards will be met in all water bodies, including those listed as impaired - Watson Lake and Granite Creek.
Timeline
The duration of the Watershed Improvement Plan grant program is two years. During fall 2009 and winter/spring 2010, the Watershed Improvement Council will gather chemical, physical, biological, and social data on the watershed. The council will complete a final draft of the Watershed Improvement Plan by December 2010. The plan will include a list of Best Management Practices (BMPs) to mitigate the loading of nutrients and E. coli in local waterways, as well as a list of critical sites for implementing these practices. A project demonstrating one of the selected BMPs will be implemented by May 2010, and will conclude with public education and outreach campaigns at the end of May 2010.
Residents' Survey
The goal of this project is to determine watershed residents’ knowledge of local watershed and water quality issues, perceptions of water quality, attitudes and values about protection and restoration of local water ways, and environmental behaviors. Data collected on these subject areas will assist in determining the educational needs of the community. As part of Phase II of Watershed Improvement Planning, public outreach and education campaigns will be catered to different audiences based on specific educational needs identified in the survey results.
Between December 2009 and February 2010, the Watershed Residents' Survey was distributed to households through the City of Prescott utility bills and the Valpak coupon envelope. The deadline for survey returns was March 15, 2010.
Nearly 1,500 residents responded to the survey.
The Watershed Improvement Council is currently analyzing the survey data for insights into community's knowledge and personality.
Field Survey
In an effort to better understand potential water quality impacts in our watershed, local Creek Crew volunteers got their boots on the ground and walked the creeks within the City of Prescott and unincorporated county areas to document:
- drainage features (pipes, ditches, culverts)
- impacted riparian areas
- and other potential pollution sources
Fifty volunteers have assessed roughly 17 miles of creek. This data, along with water quality monitoring data, will be used in a geospatial model to assist the Watershed Improvement Council in identifying origins of nutrients and bacteria in our watershed.