Native Fish Restoration of a Southwest Stream Following Decommissioning of a Hydroelectric Facility

Hydroelectric power was an early source of energy for the mining towns in central Arizona. One such facility, the Childs-Irving powerplant utilized Fossil Creek flow to deliver power during the early twentieth century. Later the Childs-Irving facility was incorporated into the Arizona Public Service (APS) power grid. In 1992, APS applied to Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC) for relicensing. Since 1992, APS has operated under temporary permits. In the fall of 1999, APS agreed to decommission this facility and return natural flows. From source springs to its confluence with the Verde River, Fossil Creek partially lies on the boundary between two national forests. The springs produce ∼1.22 m³/sec making it a major tributary for the Verde River. In a state where most of the native fish are extinct, threatened, or endangered, the opportunity to restore flows to a diverse native fishery is rare. Water emanating from the source springs is rich in calcium carbonate, which is expected to form cascading travertine dams along a seven km reach of the stream. The Forest Service, along with Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Arizona Game and Fish Department, is implementing a native fish restoration project in Fossil Creek. The restoration treatment began in the fall of 2004 prior to return of full flows into the channel. Restoration of full flows will provide the Forest Service with an enhanced opportunity to reestablish a native warm water fishery in the Southwest. The decommissioning of the Childs-Irving facility has been and continues to be an arduous process due to the many entities involved, but the opportunity to restore a stream and its associated ecosystem in the arid Southwest is notable.