Tonto Creek:
The ADEQ has awarded a $260,000 Water Quality Improvement Grant to protect water quality in Tonto Creek in Gila County.
The grant will be used to install a new wastewater treatment system at the Tonto Rim Christian Camp to replace existing failed septic system drainage fields installed at the camp in the 1970s and 1980s. The new advanced sewage treatment system will reduce nitrogen content in the wastewater and use drip irrigation disposal methods that will reduce contamination in Tonto Creek.
A 2004 ADEQ study on the upper Tonto Creek and Christopher Creek area found that sewage from humans was one of the major contributors to pollution of the creeks. The current project will improve water quality by reducing pollutants entering the creeks.
The grant is funded with federal dollars provided to ADEQ under the Clean Water Act.
Oak Creek Canyon:
A $53,490 grant to launch a Trailhead Ambassador program for high school students in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona.
The grant, which was awarded to Pender Engineering of Cottonwood, will be used to train students to educate visitors to the popular canyon about the various environmental problems caused by human & pet activity in the fragile ecosystem & to take precautions to prevent them.
The student "ambassadors" will explain to canyon visitors the risks offecal contamination, the importance of proper disposal of trash & human and pet wastes & where to find toilets, trash & recycling receptacles.
The Oak Creek Canyon Task Force, a partner with the grant, will install & maintain 8 dog waste disposal stations at trailheads in the canyon which will educate the public about the importance of preventing pollution from human & dog waste.
The project will provide one high school credit toward graduation for completion of 120 hours of volunteer service. The student ambassadors will work 35 weekends & holidays from March through October.
The grants are funded with federal dollars provided to ADEQ under the federal Clean Water Act.
Kingman:
Kingman was awarded a $33,500 to provide residents in the Mohave County city with dropoff recycling at collection trailers in three locations: Centennial Park on Harrison Street, Cecil Davis Park on Van Buren Street and South Side Little League Park on Buchanan Street.
The city has a goal of reducing solid waste by 15% to 20%, or about 4,800 tons annually, in Kingman & nearby unincorporated areas through expansion of the recycling program.
The grant is funded by ADEQ's Waste Reduction Assistance program, for projects devoted to waste reduction, recycling and composting.