Tres Rios: Wetland Ecology in an Arid Environment

This presentation will explore the key facets concerning the City of Phoenix Tres Rios Wetlands. Multiple events led the City of Phoenix to the development of a tertiary wetland treatment system at the 91st Avenue Waste Water Treatment Facility. Ron Elkins will give an overview of the history and events of the as-built project, as well as a review of the operation of the project, which has shown interesting results in many areas, such as water quality and habitat restoration.

Ron Elkins is a third-generation native of Arizona and was raised in the agricultural area of Southeast Arizona. He has worked with the City of Phoenix Water Services Department for 19 years with a concentrated effort in the Tres Rios Wetlands Project for the past 16 years as the Operations and Maintenance Manager. His efforts in the wetlands have centered around habitat restoration, ecosystem development, vector control and public outreach. During his tenure, he has created unique propagation methods for native plant species of riparian corridors in Sonoran Desert settings and helped develop integrated pest management techniques specific to vector management of constructed wetlands. He received the Environmental Stewardship award from AWPCA in 2008 and has been a Qualifying Party License holder for aquatic pesticide application for more than 15 years.