Source Water Protection in Arizona

Source Watershed Protection in Arizona

In this February 2022 presentation, the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona provides an overview of the source watershed protection activities that can be financed by the State Revolving Fund, how SRF loans for watershed projects might be repaid, and highlights Flagstaff's forest thinning and watershed management as a case study on an SRF financed project.

Click the link below to download the presentation slides.

Protecting Source Water with the CWSRF

Protecting Source Water with the Clean Water State Revolving Fund

This EPA fact sheet highlights the ways Clean Water State Revolving Funds can be used to finance investments in projects designed to protect drinking water sources. As EPA explains, "CWSRF financing is available to public, private, or nonprofit entities for many types of source water protection (SWP) projects, including both green and grey infrastructure water quality solutions for both surface water and groundwater."

Click the link below to read the full fact sheet.

CWSRF Forest Thinning and Restoration Program

The Arizona CWSRF Forest Thinning and Restoration Program

This Arizona Water Infrastructure Authority of Arizona report details the City of Flagstaff's Watershed Protection Project that is funded in part by Arizona's Clean Water State Revolving Fund program. The Watershed Protection Project was created in response to the 2010 the Schultz Fire that burned more than 15,000 acres of steep, forested slopes of the Coconino National Forest surrounding Flagstaff.

Rains after the fire gave way to catastrophic flooding, taking the life of a child, destroying neighborhoods, businesses, local water supply resources, and rendering a once thriving recreational resource to ash. To mitigate and avoid such impacts in the future, the city spent the next ten years building the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project to undertake preventive forest management through forest thinning.

Click the link below to download the full report.

Lake Michigan Dashboard: Valuing Benefits Framework

Framework for Valuing the Economic Benefits of Nature-Based Stormwater Resilience Projects

This guidance provides a framework and methods for quantifying and valuing the multiple benefits of nature-based solutions, focusing specifically on green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and coastal resilience projects that improve water quality and/or help to reduce localized or coastal flooding.

The framework is organized in three sections:

1. Section 1 provides an overview of GSI and nature-based resilience projects, describes the importance of understanding the benefits of these projects, and introduces common benefit valuation approaches.
2. Section 2 describes the key steps in conducting an economic analysis of the benefits and costs of nature-based resilience projects
3. Section 3 provides more specific guidance and methods for valuing key benefits, including flood risk reduction, water quality improvements, enhanced recreational opportunities, habitat and biodiversity, carbon reduction, and economic development.

Click the link below to download the framework. Check out the Lake Michigan Dashboard Step 3 - Valuing Multiple Benefits to access an online version of the framework.

 

Principles and Guidelines for Wetland Restoration

This resource covers the principles and guidelines, established in the adoption of Resolution VIII.16 (2002) of the Ramsar Convention.

Restoring Large Woody Debris to Streams

Large woody debris (LWD) is an important structural and functional component of stream ecosystems, and can consist of a wide range of types and sizes including logs, coarse roots, and smaller branches. LWD can result in the rapid dissipation of stream energy in high gradient systems. To maintain a continuous addition of LWD to streams in the future, healthy riparian zones should be maintained along stream ecosystems. The best long-term and least costly method of restoring stream habitat is through an aggressive riparian management policy that provides a buffer strip capable of continuously supplying optimum numbers of all sizes of large woody debris essential for healthy fish habitats.

Download below to read more.

 

Vegetation Ecology

Chapter 2070 – Vegetation Ecology, from the Forrest Service Manual 2000 – National Forest Resource Management. This document covers; the objectives for the use of native plant materials in revegetation, rehabilitation, and restoration of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems; the authority and responsibility for the overall administration of the native plant materials program on NFS lands and other lands administered by the Forest Service.

Download below to read more.

Terracing – Storm Water Services

Terracing involves defined swales constructed at regular intervals along the face of a slope designed to reduce erosion by capturing surface runoff and directing it to an adequate, stable outlet. Due to the steep slopes needed to create the terrace, swales may only be created by construction of earth ridges/berms. Typically installed on long steep slopes on which erosion is a concern. Terraces should not be constructed in sandy or rocky soil.

Download below to read more.

Terracing – USDA

On the farm terracing is a soil conservation practice applied to prevent rainfall runoff on sloping land from accumulating and causing serious erosion. Terraces consist of ridges and channels constructed across-the-slope. A terrace is an earth embankment, channel, or a combination of ridge and channel constructed across a slope to intercept runoff. This practice is commonly used with practices such as contour farming, grassed waterways, subsurface drains and underground outlet.

Download below to read more.

Sediment Basin

Sediment basins are temporary ponds with appropriate control structures, used on construction sites to capture eroded or disturbed soil that are washed off during or after rainstorms or other runoff events. Sediment basins are designed to protect the water quality of nearby streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands, and to protect neighboring properties from damage. Some sediment basins are converted to permanent storm water controls following the completion of construction activity. Purpose and Description The primary purpose of sediment basins is to prevent sediment from entering streams, rivers, lakes, or wetlands. They do this by collecting and detaining runoff, allowing suspended solids to settle out prior to the runoff leaving a site.

Download below to read more.