Rio de Flag Watershed Plan 2023

Written under the guidelines of the US Bureau of Reclamation, this plan makes us eligible to apply for federal grants to help carry out one or more of its 116 projects (locations shown on map below). Download the full plan here.

The Plan is a coordinated effort to maintain and enhance the Rio and its watershed, and to make the Rio de Flag even more of an asset to our City than it already is. The Plan was written by Friends of the Rio de Flag President Rick Miller, City Stormwater Managers Ed Schenk and Jim Janacek, City Comprehensive Plan manager Sara Dechter, and County Community Development hydrologist John Carr, with major help from Coconino National Forest, Springs Stewardship Institute, Wild Arizona, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and the Hopi and Navajo tribes.

Every project described on this website is in the Plan, which makes each project eligible for funding from the Bureau of Reclamation – if you work with us to write a clear proposal how to do it, in close cooperation with key stakeholders.

On February 6 2024, the Flagstaff City Council formally approved the WARF, as you can see in this video (start at 1:49:18 and runs to 2:08:30). The comments by the Mayor and 4 Council members start at 2:01:40. Vice-Mayor Austin Aslan said: “I look forward to Sinclair Wash becoming a perennial amenity. As we get that up and running, let me know when the next clean-up is planned... We need you guys at the table for ongoing discussions about the Rio de Flag flood control project. Thank you for being that conduit, that liaison between Council and the rest of the community who harbor deep concerns about how that project is going to go, and how it’s going to impact our riparian areas and our environment.”

Council Member Jim McCarthy: “Riparian areas are like the life-blood of an ecosystem. The concentration of wildlife is much stronger in riparian areas... Thank you for sticking up for the Rio and protecting it and improving it.”

Council Member Lori Matthews: “I was part of the Stream Stewards... and I loved cleaning up part of the Rio that I had never walked before. It was such an amazing day because it got me out in an area that I had not discovered yet. There is so much of the Rio that I need to discover. I’ll definitely be on the volunteer list to clean up. I am totally in support of this resolution.”