Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Director Steve Owens announced that ADEQ will be awarding a $168,442 grant to Audubon Arizona to support the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center and help improve water quality in Phoenix through public education.
"Audubon Arizona is doing a spectacular job preserving the Rio Salado area & educating people about the importance of the river, the wetlands & the habitat there," Director Owens said. "Because the Center is located on the 600-acre Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area, it provides a perfect setting for city residents to learn about surface water, & we are very pleased to support this important effort."
The project will encourage residents in South Phoenix & Central Phoenix to take steps to reduce water pollution through means such as limiting use of fertilizer, storing chemicals appropriately to reduce runoff, properly disposing of pet waste, & replacing impenetrable surfaces with more porous materials where possible.
During the 2-year grant period, about 7,000 people are expected to participate in the program, which will be conducted at the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center, 2439 S. Central Ave. The center is located on the banks of the Salt River just a mile south of downtown Phoenix.
"Everyone should visit the center & learn about the importance of protecting this special local resource," Owens said.
In addition to paying for printed educational material, the ADEQ grant will enable Audubon Arizona to conduct educational programs & self-guided walks through the center's 2 acres of wetland along the Rio Salado area, erect informative signage along the pathways; provide; a "water quality backpack" with materials for simple water quality experiments; & initiate presentations on water quality by naturalists & trained volunteers.
The grant is funded with federal dollars provided to ADEQ under the Clean Water Act.