News

City Hall hosts Creeks Care guide release

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Creek Care Guide

Creek Care: Your Stewardship Guide to the Granite Creek Watershed is ready for general release, says Amanda Richardson, Watershed Program Coordinator for Prescott Creeks. "A lot of time, effort, and enthusiasm went into its making, so we feel that its release is worth celebrating."

The public is invited to attend a casual unveiling event on Thursday, February 2nd at 10:00 a.m. in the City of Prescott Council Chambers. Richardson says copies of the guide will be on hand as well as the many of the people that helped bring the project to fruition. Refreshments will be provided.

Prescott Creeks and the Watershed Improvement Council developed the guide to provide local residents with information about preventing water pollution and protecting riparian areas in our watershed. It outlines basic practices that homes and businesses can implement to protect our local creeks and lakes from water pollution. Creek Care covers topics such as: Storm Sewer vs. Sanitary Sewer; Pollution Pathways; Yard and Pasture Maintenance; Drainage; Erosion Prevention; Riparian Areas; Native Vegetation; Septic Maintenance; and Local Codes, Ordinances, and Permitting.

The guide is a small, full-color booklet that features the photographs of local photographer and naturalist, Walt Anderson. This project was funded by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality through the Targeted Watershed Improvement Plan Grant program and contributions from the City of Prescott.

15,000 booklets will be mailed to residents of the City of Prescott and surrounding unincorporated Yavapai County in early February. Copies will be available at the Prescott Creeks office, City of Prescott, Yavapai County, University of Arizona Cooperative Extensions Yavapai County office, as well as local businesses.

For the past two years, the Granite Creek Watershed Improvement Council has been studying the water quality in Prescott's creeks and lakes. The goal of the Council, consisting of representatives from the City of Prescott, Yavapai County, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Prescott National Forest, Arizona Department of Transportation, and citizen volunteers, is to identify the sources of nutrients and E. coli bacteria that impair water quality in Granite Creek and Watson Lake and to design solutions to improve water quality. With approximately 1,500 private property owners along Granite Creek and its main tributaries, educating and empowering residents to play a role in caring for our creeks and riparian areas may be the most critical element to the long-term improvement of surface water quality.