Picture Canyon / Rio de Flag Meander Restoration Project

Flagstaff, Arizona

    Sponsors

City of Flagstaff, Arizona Water Protection Fund, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

    Scope of Work

Restore 36 acres of channel and floodplain along the Rio de Flag in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Specific objectives include:

        1) manage noxious and invasive weeds,

        2) restore channel meanders and floodplain function,

        3) restore native riparian and wetland plant community and increase plant species diversity, and

        4) create additional wetland habitat.

The limited riparian areas in the southwest region of the United States have been reduced and fragmented by development, water withdrawal and climate change.  Treated effluent water from urban sources provides a resource for enhancing urban stream courses. Degraded urban stream systems represent a large potential for increasing high value riparian habitat, while providing important aesthetic and recreational benefits.

This is a project within the City of Flagstaff, Arizona where natural hydrology and riparian plant communities and their associated habitats are being improved through the use of reclaimed effluent.

The Rio de Flag is the primary watercourse winding through Flagstaff, Arizona. Picture Canyon Meander Restoration Project is located along the Rio de Flag located on City of Flagstaff and Arizona State Trust lands along the Rio de Flag, east of Flagstaff. In the project area, the stream runs through a narrow basalt canyon that supports a wetland plant community watered by effluent discharges from the City of Flagstaff’s Wildcat Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant. The canyon itself is culturally significant and provides pristine habitat for many species reliant on water.  It is highly valued for recreation due to its proximity to the Arizona Trail and the presence of an uncommon northern Arizona riparian ecosystem. Sometime in the past, the stream channel was channelized removing a number of natural meanders. Reclaimed water is confined to the channelized section and has no access to its floodplain resulting in a very limited riparian plant community. Noxious weeds, such as Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium), have invaded the site due to soil disturbance from historical channelization activities.

With the assistance of a grant from the Arizona Water Protection Fund and additional funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Wildlife, restoration activities will focus on managing noxious weeds; restoring channel meander and floodplain function; restoring native riparian and wetland plant communities; increasing plant species diversity; creating additional wetland habitats; improving water quality; increasing wildlife habitat; and, providing recreation and aesthetic benefits.

This project serves as a good example how riparian plant communities and associated wildlife habitats along urban stream corridors in the southwest could be improved with moderate amounts of additional reclaimed water. But these projects can require complex planning and coordination due to the large number of stakeholders within urban settings. Urban infrastructure, modified hydrology, invasive species and diminished water quality are all concerns for potential projects. As the already limited riparian areas in the southwest continue to shrink to smaller ecological units, riparian refugia will become increasingly important. Urban stream segments supported by reclaimed effluent can provide valuable habitat, while providing important aesthetic and recreational benefits.