Prescott Creeks, in coordination with the City of Prescott and funded by ADEQ, has been working on two recent projects to improve water quality in our creeks. These two projects, located at the Prescott Adult Centre and the corner of Whipple & Miller Valley, are examples of Green Infrastructure. But what is Green Infrastructure? The EPA defines it as: “Green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and natural processes to manage water and create healthier urban environments. At the scale of a city or county, green infrastructure refers to the patchwork of natural areas that provides habitat, flood protection, cleaner air, and cleaner water. At the scale of a neighborhood or site, green infrastructure refers to storm water management systems that mimic nature by soaking up and storing water”.
In the case of Prescott Creeks two projects, they are meant to slow, filter, and reduce pollutants before they reach the creeks and lakes downstream. Granite Creek, Watson Lake, and some of the others are not reaching their minimum water quality. They have been label as Impaired. The Clean Water Act (our favorite Act!) says Impaired waters are: “A water body (i.e., stream reaches, lakes, water body segments) with chronic or recurring monitored violations of the applicable numeric and/or narrative water quality criteria”.
These project are meant to clean the waters and to provide a more beautiful, natural area for the community. The next few blog posts will discuss the sites, how they were developed, what they ought to do long-term, and how they will benefit the watershed.