Arizona Water Protection Fund
2004 Grant Cycle

In October of 2003 Prescott Creeks submitted a grant request to the Arizona Water Protection Fund for restotoration planning at Watson Woods Riparian Preserve. Notification of funding will be announced in February 2004.

Executive Summary:

Purpose of the Project

This project will determine feasibility of, and best methods for, restoration of approximately one mile of the degraded Granite Creek, its floodplain and associated riparian habitat at Watson Woods Riparian Preserve.

Project Objectives

1. Conduct a comprehensive analysis of a one mile reach of Granite Creek within the Watson Woods Preserve. Comprehensive analysis will include watershed and site specific assessment of hydrologic, geomorphic and hydraulic conditions.

2. Prepare restoration plans based on comprehensive analysis and existing data. Restoration plans will likely include channel modification, revegetation and educational aspects.

3. Develop implementation plan and schedule, if the restoration plan is deemed as feasible.

4. Educate Prescott area, and Central Arizona, residents (the public) about the relationship between stream condition and water quality, about the importance of riparian ecosystems to native wildlife and humans, and about the opportunities for, and power of, collaborative community-based problem solving.

Methods

Site-specific data from the project reach and appropriate reference reaches will be collected to assess and analyze hydraulic and geomorphologic condition of the project reach and the feasibility for its restoration. Vegetation surveys will be repeated at the Preserve and conducted at selected reference reaches. Data and analyses will then be combined to develop a restoration plan for Watson Woods Riparian Preserve. Additionally, Prescott Creeks will use a variety of outreach tools (print media, printed materials, internet, and hands-on activities) to engage the public in this project and educate them about the importance of riparian ecosystems in Central Arizona.

Project Features

Outcomes from this project will include a restoration model for Granite Creek within Watson Woods Riparian Preserve, a restoration plan that will articulate the model and a variety of tools that will help educate Preserve visitors and the general population of Central Arizona. These will include signs, maps, websites, a GIS system, and a redesign and printing of the Arizona Riparian Council fact Sheet series.

Significance of the Project to Arizona’s rivers, streams and associated riparian habitats

In 1996, the Arizona Water Protection Fund Commission funded the development of the Watson Woods Riparian Preserve Comprehensive Plan. Intended to have a five year life, the incredibly valuable plan is entering its seventh year and is becoming an outdated tool. Nearly 60% of the tasks identified in the plan have been completed and Prescott Creeks Preservation Association is prepared to begin work on the remaining tasks, but needs a more thorough tool that incorporates additional information to that gathered during the Plan’s implementation.

Not only will this project initiate restoration efforts for an urbanizing headwater tributary to the Verde River, it will educate the burgeoning population of Central Arizona. At a time when, and in a region where water resources are stretched extremely thin, this important project will provide a positive example of how non-profit organizations, governments, educational institutions and citizens can collaborate in creative problem solving efforts.

For more information about the Arizona Water Protection Fund, visit their website.

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