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More tax dollars wasted on Tempe Town Lake
Riverbed work begins west of Town Lake
Katie Nelson Workers this week have been clearing the tall, bright green cattails west of Tempe Town Lake's dams, beginning the second phase of an environmental project to rejuvenate wildlife areas around the lake. The work will make way for upper Sonoran Desert, Palo Verde and Mesquite habitat areas. Dozens of trees along with brush and grasses will be planted both up and downstream in the coming months in order to bring the land closer to its natural state, said Nancy Ryan, manager of Tempe's Rio Salado Project. The effort is part of a combined project by Tempe and the Army Corps of Engineers. The Army Corps has renewed other Valley wetland areas as well. Part of Avondale's Agua Fria River and Phoenix's portion of the Salt River are other current projects. In Tempe, the Indian Bend Wash, north of the Loop 202, was the first portion of the restoration to be completed. Work on that 41-acre section started in October 2003. An additional 128 acres is part of the portion up and downstream from Town Lake in the riverbed. Future water flows from snowmelt or rain storms that come downstream in the Salt could wipe out some plantings. But replacing the plants as that happens is part of the plan and is part of maintaining such a habitat, Ryan said. The portion being worked on now, west of the lake, is within less than 10,000 feet of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. As a result, the new habitat aims to balance the needs of wildlife and aviation safety. Overall, the city is funding about 40 percent of the project's cost. The federal government is picking up 60 percent.
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