Scott Satterthwaite
Kansas Department of
Health and Environment
NPS pollution control specialist
Topeka, Kansas

Editor’s note: LASN contacted C.F. Shuler, Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz., the landscape architecture firm for the Riparian Preserve project, and asked for comment on Scott’s questions. First up is Carol Shuler, the lead landscape architect for the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch project in Gilbert, Ariz.:

“Most issues can be either eliminated or greatly mitigated through thoughtful design. We kept all turf far from the urban fishing lake. Most stormwater flows were directed, away from the lake. Where necessary, flows are collected in bioswales for filtration before gently overflowing into the lake. There is a dual surface and underwater aeration system. Inclusion of plants and fish are integral to the lake health. We worked with Arizona Game & Fish to provide extensive fish habitat. The lake depth helps to lower the water temperature and reduce temperature fluctuations. Landscape irrigation water is pumped out of the lake. This usage aids circulation, provides water turnover and varies the water level, which is important in the vector control program.

“Thank you for the question. The details of the project could be another article.”

“The lake and its surroundings were designed to maintain water quality. The lake volume was determined based upon the irrigation demands of the Riparian Preserve, so that the entire lake volume is replaced every month during the summer months (peak demand time). The associated hydraulic turnover helps maintain high water quality, especially with regard to total dissolved solids and nutrients. There is no grass along the lake edge, and the lake edge is populated with native riparian and desert scrub plants. Aquatic and emergent plants are used below the water surface to help naturally remove nutrients and provide aquatic habitat. No fertilizers or herbicides are used along the lake edge. The lake is equipped with an extensive aeration system to prevent the lake from going anoxic or septic and to provide dissolved oxygen levels necessary to support the fishery. A water circulation system, including a return flow stream keeps the water fresh and moving. Duck populations are relatively low because domesticated ducks and other waterfowl do not prefer the lake. Wild waterfowl tend to make use of the recharge basins more than the lake, so the nutrient load in the lake is kept in check.

“An aquifer protection permit (APP) is maintained with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to ensure the town monitors the impacts of recharging the local aquifer with high-quality reclaimed water. Recharged water is recovered through two recovery wells, one on each side of the lake, to provide a source of water supply to the lake. These wells also serve as down-gradient monitoring wells for the recharge operations, according to the APP. Groundwater quality standards … in Arizona are based upon primary drinking water standards. The recharge operations cannot degrade groundwater quality, regardless of what the native, ambient groundwater quality is.”

There’s no need for spending unnecessary dollars on oversized equipment and higher then needed monthly utility bills

John Blumenthal
President – The Power House, Inc.
Owings Mills, Md.