A popular reservoir in Prescott has long been plagued by accumulating pollutants on the lake bed. While residents and the city want cleanup to happen soon, a new settlement will delay any action for now.
The city of Prescott purchased Watson Lake in 1997 for recreational purposes, but also inherited decades of pollution run-off settled on the lake’s bottom. As opposed to immediate remedial action for the lake, the city council opted for a settlement with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), calling for more data to be collected over a five-year phase in a report ADEQ released last March.
While the lack of action has upset some in the community, Amanda Richardson, Prescott environmental coordinator, said the extra time and data will allow for the best decision to be made.
“No one has ever studied what various remedial options, what kind of effects those are going to have, both positive and negative, and we need to be able to weigh all of our options before diving in,” Richardson said.
The lake is primarily polluted from excessive nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers and animal waste, in addition to roadway chemicals. ADEQ has listed Watson lake as impaired since 2003.
