West Clear Creek is an iconic Arizona stream that drains a rugged mountain wilderness area before flowing into Arizona’s Verde River valley. It is one of the few cold and clear streams draining into central Arizona, and it provides some of the most intact aquatic habitat in the region. However, so much water is diverted along the lower reaches of West Clear Creek that parts of the Creek are completely dry throughout much of the year.

An integrated set of projects, which include irrigation system modernization and improved water management will restore flows to West Clear Creek and assure delivery of water to area farmers. BEF’s Water Restoration Program is providing funding to the Nature Conservancy’s Verde River Program to support infrastructure upgrades that include the installation of a pipeline to improve water delivery to farmers while reducing the amount of water diverted from West Clear Creek.

Piping the ditch will allow irrigators to divert far less water from the creek, with an estimated 190 million gallons of water per year being restored to improve water quality, recreation, and habitat