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GOODYEAR, Ariz.— A plan is underway to restore the Gila River's natural flood control functions, rejuvenate the river's wildlife habitat and provide recreational opportunities along the river for residents of the Phoenix metropolitan area. An initial component of the plan, the El Rio Educational Research and Development Project (El Rio), was dedicated in a September 20 ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Mary Rose Wilcox, Maricopa County Supervisor, District 5. Located in the city of Goodyear on the banks of the Gila adjacent to Estrella Mountain Regional Park, the El Rio research project is a flood control and environmental rehabilitation study implemented by the Flood Control District. It is part of the District's El Rio Watercourse Master Plan, a comprehensive flood control and multi-use recreation plan for a 17.5-mile stretch of the Gila River in the communities of Avondale, Buckeye and Goodyear.
The Gila River once carried water nearly year-round. During the past 100 years, however, dams and canals have diverted the river's potential water flow, leaving a dry riverbed. The lack of water has led to the heavy growth of salt cedar vegetation in the riverbed. Salt cedar has grown thick enough to limit the amount of water the river channel can carry. When strong rainstorms produce enough runoff to send water down the Gila, water can be forced out of the channel and over the riverbanks, causing widespread flooding to adjacent land. In 1978, for example, the community of Allenville near Buckeye was virtually wiped out by floodwater from the Gila River.
The El Rio project seeks to develop a way to reduce salt cedar growth and prevent widespread flooding. An 8.5-acre swath of salt cedar on the Gila has been cleared and planted in its place are different densities of native plants, such as velvet mesquite. The goal is to determine which density of native plants can prevent the re-growth of salt cedar, thereby restoring the Gila River's natural waterway, reducing the chance for flooding and providing wildlife with an enhanced natural habitat. The process learned at El Rio can potentially be used on other rivers in Arizona where salt cedar growth is an issue.
Supervisor Wilcox has championed the El Rio project since its inception and was enthusiastic to see it come to fruition. "The Gila is the premier desert river in the county and I've always loved its beauty," she said at the dedication ceremony. "Today marks a significant stage in advancing the El Rio Watercourse Master Plan, a project which will ensure a quality economic future for residents of the West Valley. The project will also serve as the benchmark for how towns can work together to put plans into action."
In addition to being a research model, the El Rio project site is proving to be an excellent education tool for residents and tourists. Today's new model of ecotourism has generated a market of park visitors seeking out innovative educational and recreational opportunities. The El Rio project site is a prime example of ecotourism, and will appeal to visitors that are socially and ecologically conscious. An informational kiosk at the site's parking lot, located at the northeast corner of Bullard Avenue and Vineyard Avenue, explains the El Rio environmental study. Visitors can tour the site on an interpretive quarter-mile trail that winds along the river bottom through the experimental vegetation plots. The site is open to the public Sunday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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