• Participation in the Watershed Alliance for the Rio de Flag (WARF)
• Execution of a Master Participating Agreement for the WARF patterned on other existing City agreements
• Cooperation on Projects of Interest to the City with appropriate levels of approval

Watershed Alliance for the Rio De Flag was formed in 2018 as a watershed stakeholder group, chaired by the Friends of the Rio to advance a watershed plan under the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART: Cooperative Watershed Management Program. The program provides a framework to create a legacy of conservation stewardship and restore trust with local communities, by providing funding to grassroots, local watershed groups, and encouraging diverse stakeholders to develop collaborative solutions that address their water management needs.  The City of Flagstaff signed a letter of support for the grant which was awarded and City staff from Community Development and Water Services have been engaged as subject-matter experts in support of the project.  As the Friends of the Rio and the Watershed Alliance are moving to the next phase of watershed planning, they are seeking to finalize the watershed plan and formalize the relationships around future implementation. Presenters for this item are Kelly Burke and Rick Miller of the Friends of the Rio.

The Rio runs through Flagstaff from Leroux Springs on the Northwest corner of town to Picture Canyon on the east side, along the way it passes the Museum of Northern Arizona, City Hall, through the Southside neighborhood, Willow Bend Environmental Education Center, and several city parks.  The Rio can be seen as the backbone of the Flagstaff Urban Trail System and provides a background for a lot of recreation and peaceful contemplation in a number of neighborhoods.  In order to plan and coordinate activities to make The Rio de Flag even more of an asset to our city than it already is.  Friends of the Rio de Flag applied for a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART: Cooperative Watershed Management Program grant.  The grant was awarded in 2018 to accomplish two goals, to develop first a watershed stakeholders’ group, and second, draft a plan for the Rio de Flag watershed.

The process began by identifying stakeholders with interests tied to the Rio Watershed. Then, the project team interviewed the stakeholders to identify problems, opportunities, and interests we have in common.  They also began gathering information on the history, ecology, hydrology, and public use of the Rio de Flag.  The next major step was holding a series of six public meetings using experts from the stakeholders as speakers, to inform the public about the Rio and to gather information from the public about Rio and public interests and thoughts about the Rio.  All this became input to the watershed plan.  The team has now completed a draft plan and is in the process of forming the watershed stakeholder group.  City staff has cooperated with the planning effort so far, and Friends of the Rio would very much like the City of Flagstaff to agree to participate formally in the ongoing watershed stakeholders’ group.

Future efforts of the stakeholders will be focused on maintaining and improving the Rio and its watershed including public recreation, education about the Rio, and maintaining and improving watershed ecology and restoration.  The WARF is hoping to seek funding through grants to accomplish the goals and projects identified in the plan, including a WaterSMART Phase 2 from the Bureau of Reclamation which would help fund the implementation of the plan.  For this reason, the Friends of the Rio are asking the city to enter into a Master Participating Agreement for the WARF patterned on other existing City agreements, so that if the organizations are able to get funding for projects, which are of interest to the city, we would be able to cooperate in those projects.