[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Awards Nearly $300, 000 Watershed Improvement Plan Grant to Prescott Creeks Preservation Association

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Awards Nearly $300,000 Watershed Improvement Plan Grant to Prescott
Creeks Preservation Association

PHOENIX (May 8, 2009) -- The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
has awarded a grant of $299,961 to the Prescott Creeks Preservation
Association to reduce the level of pollutants in the Granite Creek
Watershed.

The grant will be used to plan and complete projects to mitigate the
runoff of nitrogen, phosphorus, and E. coli bacteria in Granite Creek
and Watson Lake. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed these
waters as "impaired," or seriously polluted, under the Clean Water Act. 

The grant is being awarded under ADEQ's new Targeted Watershed
Improvement Grant program for projects where surface water cleanup is
needed and where strong community support is anticipated for completing
the project. The grant includes a one-year planning phase and cleanup
projects to be implemented the following year. 

"The money from this grant will be used to research the likely sources
of the pollution like urban storm water runoff, septic systems, aging
infrastructure and properties in the area," said ADEQ Acting Director
Patrick J. Cunningham. "Granite Creek and Watson Lake are dear to
thousands of Prescott residents and this project is necessary to improve
the water quality and remove the creek and lake from EPA's list of
impaired waters."

An important part of the ADEQ program is local community involvement. 

"We are empowering local watershed groups. ADEQ will provide technical
support, but these grants depend on the involvement of local volunteers
to do the plan and implementation," Cunningham said.

The grant is funded with federal dollars provided to ADEQ under the
Clean Water Act.

In addition to the present grant, ADEQ previously provided nearly
$900,000 to Prescott Creeks Preservation Association, a nonprofit group,
the last three years for water quality improvement and restoration. 

For more information on the grant program, visit our Web page:
http://www.azdeq.gov/environ/water/watershed/improvement.html#target

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News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.

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