Arizona’s spotty monsoon season was even spottier this year in Prescott. 4.95″ of precipitation fell on Prescott this summer, far below the 8.54″ average, making this the 16th driest year on record (out of 112 years).
Despite the dismal showing here, the 2010 monsoon delivered slightly above average rainfall to northern Arizona.
What does this mean for our creeks, riparian areas, and the Creek Crew’s water quality monitoring? It means that we are keeping our fingers crossed for lots of rain and snow this winter! Winter storms generally deliver more prolonged precipitation and snow in the mountains, increasing the chances that our creeks will flow steadily through the winter and spring months. These winter flows are ideal conditions for the Creek Crew to be out monitoring.
This winter’s water quality monitoring will take a different approach by targeting specific areas to help narrow down sources of pollutants in our waterways.
Photo credit: Dagny Gromer