Opinions Needed To Help Improve Water Quality In Oak Creek
Sedona AZ (February 6, 2012) – The Oak Creek Watershed Council (OCWC) announced today that a scientific Social Survey, designed to obtain opinions on human behaviors affecting the water quality of Oak Creek, is being mailed to over 1200 randomly selected residents in the Oak Creek watershed.
The Survey solicits residents’ help in order to discover how best to inform other members of the public on ways to protect Oak Creek, and the health of the people who recreate in it.
Funded by a grant from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Council has developed the Oak Creek Watershed Improvement Plan which identifies problems associated with the impairment of Oak Creek by the fecal coliform Escherichia coli (E. coli), as well as solutions to those problems.
The responses to the scientific Survey will be used to guide projects to improve water quality in Oak Creek, and its five tributaries as outlined in the Watershed Improvement Plan.
Sharon Masek Lopez, Primary Investigator and writer of the Watershed Improvement Plan, encourages all residents who receive the postage pre-paid scientific Survey, to fill it out and return it to the Council. “We highly value your opinion, and it matters a lot to us,” said Lopez. “Your time is very much appreciated, and every survey we receive back helps Oak Creek.”
The Survey takes approximately 15 minutes to fill out and can also be viewed by other watershed residents at http://www.oakcreekwatershed.org As part of its public outreach, the Council invites other residents to fill out the website Survey but email it to info@oakcreekwatershed.org The website results will be tabulated separately from the official mailed scientific Survey.
For more information about how residents and visitors can help protect Oak Creek, the Oak Creek Watershed Council also sponsors a second website which focuses on Oak Creek Canyon at http://www.oakcreekcanyonaz.org
The Oak Creek Watershed Council is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) corporation dedicated to protecting the Oak Creek Watershed environment, and preserving the integrity of Oak Creek.