What is Prescott Creeks monitoring for?

Monitoring is an important part of Prescott Creeks’ commitment to the Upper Granite Creek Watershed and an is essential part of our mission “…to protect and celebrate the ecological integrity of the Granite Creek Watershed…” By monitoring the water quality of the creeks throughout the area we are better able to understand how healthy the creeks are.

Prescott Creeks has been monitoring ground water levels at Watson Woods Riparian Preserve for a number of years. The monitoring is done through eight wells placed at various points in the preserve.

Why is monitoring important?

Groundwater levels are used to determine hydraulic gradients and the rates of flow. Repeated measurements of water levels over time provide a history of water-level fluctuations that can help interpret the water-quality and water-quantity data. For example, seasonal variations in can cause changes in hydraulic gradients that may correspond to changes in water quality and water quantity.

Monitoring nutrients and metals can be used to identify and evaluate long-term trends in watershed condition. Nutrients in surface waters can over stimulate the growth of aquatic plants and algae.  This excessive growth can clogs our waterways, use up dissolved oxygen as they decompose, and block light to deeper waters.

Sources of metals in the creeks may include brake pads, copper piping, building materials and pressure treated wood. Storm water runoff in urban areas has been known to produce significant toxicity to early life stages of aquatic organisms due to the presence of trace metals.

Why should I care about monitoring the creeks?

• With nine creeks running through Prescott, nearly everyone lives, works, or plays near a creek. Monitoring the creeks helps us to understand how healthy the creeks are and how healthy Prescott is.

• The monitoring program is a vital key to understanding the health of our watershed. Establishing baseline data throughout the watershed will create a comprehensive picture of our watershed. Any improvements can them be measured and evaluated against this baseline data.

• It is also possible to pinpoint significant pollutant sources, obtain a better understanding of how our system’s pollutants behave, and identify the most cost-effective methods to control them where appropriate.

• To make informed decisions and actions, we need an understanding of pollutants and their effects in our watershed. The monitoring program will provide this information. The health of the watershed affects all of us living and working in the watershed.

• It’s easier and generally less expensive to prevent harmful land and water use practices than it is to clean them up after the fact.

How can I become involved?

Learn how to monitor the water quality and health of Prescott’s creeks. Join our water quality monitoring committee, learn to monitor the groundwater wells, or become involved in photo monitoring. Whether you would rather be in the field, or inputting the date, there are many ways to become involved.

Contact the for more information on how to get involved.