United States
Environmental Protection

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HISTORY
                                      Cooperation between public agencies and nature
                                     can have amazing results. The innovative decision
                                        to use treated municipal wastewater to create
                                      wetland wildlife habitat continues to pay off for
                                     the local community. Like a biological magnet, the
                                       new wetlands attract a wide variety of wildlife
                                             and of course people to watch them.

     Jacques Marsh is a constructed
     wetland that is a component of
     the wastewater management
system of the Pinetop-Lakeside Sanitary
District. It is the result of a cooperative
effort between the U.S. Forest Service,
Arizona Game and Fish Department,
and the Pinetop Lakeside Sanitary
District. The manmade marsh was
constructed on National Forest Service
Lands in an area with no historical
ponds, lakes or wetlands. However,
once established the marsh closely
represents a natural wetland in terms
of plants and wildlife present at the site.
  The surface and groundwaters of the
community were considered to be con-
taminated in the 1970's and the Pinetop-
Lakeside Sanitary District was formed in
1973 to clean up these waters. With assis-
tance of an EPA construction grant the
wastewater collection system, a 2 million
gallon per day secondary treatment plant
and Jacques Marsh were completed in
1980: The 127 acres of marsh and ponds
currently receive about one million
gallons of treated wastewater per day.
  The community is proud of its deci-
sion to construct Jacques Marsh to
recycle their reclaimed water rather
than discharge effluent from the treat-
ment plant into Billy Creek which runs
through the area. Many worries about
pollution and human contact were elim-
inated and a striking wildlife area was
created. The use of Jacques Marsh for
recreation, outdoor education, and
wildlife has been well worth the effort.
Jacques Marsh 1990.
                                                       •••-SIKW*^^
                                                      ,     ._„,.,.,?,. ••;,"•.'?*~';**«''-fi*;f!"*hl>-'.'
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WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY
      The wastewater treatment plant
      operated by the Pinetop-Lakeside
      Sanitary District is a 2 million
gallon per day activated sludge plant.
Treatment consists of comminutors,
hydrostatic screens and a vortex grit
system followed by aeration in a
2 million gallon oxidation channel. •
Organic material in the wastewater is
stabilized during this part of the process.
  Following aeration for 24 hours in the
channel, the flow is directed into two
secondary clarifiers (sedimentation
tanks) for separation of the organic
solids from the treated wastewater. In
the secondary clarifiers, solids are settled
out by gravity and recycled to the
oxidation channel, or removed. The
effluent is drawn from the top of the
 secondary clarifiers, chlorinated and
 pumped to the Jacques Wetlands
 Marsh System.
   The sludge that is removed is pumped
 to an aerobic digester. Following
 digestion, the sludge is dewatered
 (concentrated) by Somat Dewatering
 Screws and pumped to an Eweson
 Co-Composting digester to be mixed
 with municipal solid waste. This 12 week
• process reduces 20 tons of material
 (14 tons of municipal solid waste plus
 6 tons of sludge) to around 11 tons of
 marketable compost. Since this co-
 composting facility became operational,
 it has utilized 100% of the sludge from
 the wastewater treatment plant and 80%
 of the residential solid waste produced
 by the Town of Pinetop-Lakeside.
                                                                            PLSD's on-site testing lab.
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SITE DESCRIPTION
      The created wetlands at Jacques
      Marsh are located 1 mile north
      of the town of Pinetop-Lakeside,
Arizona. This is in the high country of
northeastern Arizona. The wetlands
are on National Forest Service Lands
administered by the Apache/Sitgreaves
National Forests.
  The climate has a dominant influence
on the functions of the created wetlands.
This area has four definite seasons.
Spring is very windy with gusts over
50 mph. This can cause severe bank
erosion if vegetation isn't established.
Net evaporation can exceed 7 inches
per month in May and June. Summer
is characterized by the onset of a
monsoon type pattern with frequent
showers and high humidities. Plants
respond quickly to the higher night time
temperatures. Fall is ushered in as the
rainfall diminishes and nights get colder.
The first frosts occur during the last
part of September. Winter is marked by
colder temperatures and the wetlands
freeze over. Ice may occur for 1 to
2 months of winter. Snow depths of
6 to 16 inches are common.
  The clay soils of the Jacques Marsh
site are of volcanic origin. They have
low permeability to water. This is a
key factor in the wetland design. The
natural soils were used to form the
marsh basins.
  The natural vegetation of the site
was ponderosa pine, Utah juniper and
pinyon pine. This is a very common
vegetation type in this mountain area.
The animals occurring in this area
include rocky mountain elk, mule deer,

Merriam turkey, black bear, and coyotes.
Common birds are Stellers jay, western
bluebird, redshafted flicker, and raven.
Waterfowl are common where water
occurs. The Intermountain Biotic
Province is the greatest source of
waterfowl using this site.


Month
Jan
Feb
- Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Wee
Average
High Temp.
44.3°F
46.1 °F
50.0°F
59.7°F
69.0°F
78.1 °F
80.5°F
77.5°F
74.4°F
65.6°F
53.6°F
46.5°F
ither Sumii
Average
Low Temp.
16.0°F
18.1°F
21.7°F
27.9°F
33.8°F
40.7°F
49.1 °F
48.1 °F
41.6°F
32.6°F
23.4°F
I8.2°F
nary


	 • '" ' 	 "" [
Historic Average
Record Low Precip.
-23°F
-18°F
-13°F
0°F
Qbp
20°F
30°F
32°F
21°F
6°F
-3°F
-18°F
1.92"
1.30"
1 .91 "
.93"
.43"
.57"
3.13"
3.40"
1.82"
1.89"
1.34"
1.96"
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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
     Jacques Marsh is different than
     most constructed wetlands
     because it doesn't occupy a
natural basin or drainageway. The
relatively level site was selected because
it has a clay soil of sufficient depth to
provide material for dike construction
and a low percolation rate.
  Several hundred soil borings were
made to map the size and thickness of
the clay layer. Heavy earth moving
equipment performed the necessary
cut and fill to create the dikes and
islands which form the physical features
of the marsh.
  A pipeline was installed to carry the
reclaimed water which is pumped up
hill from the treatment plant to the
marsh. Outlets allow for water to be
pumped directly into 5 of the 7 ponds.
Interpond concrete structures allow
water to flow from one pond into
another. These structures are equipped
with water boards to maintain predeter-
mined water levels in each pond. This
flexibility of managing water levels is
a key factor in operating the marsh.
  The "V" shaped nesting islands were
designed to retard wave erosion. The
points of the islands face the prevailing
wind and the back sides provide back
water areas for resting waterfowl. The
purpose of the islands is to provide
nesting sites which are safe from
predators such as skunks and coyotes.
The perimeter of the area was fenced
to keep out domestic livestock.
    ...
  JACQUES MARSH
                                                           ,r Penjrneter Fence
                                                         •"-p- Reclaimed
                                                             Water Distribution
                                                            Control Valve
                                                            Nesting Island
Net
Evaporation
Month Inches
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Total
+.32
-1.33
-3.75
-6.22
-7.62
-8.49
-4.34
-3.29
-3.74
-2.55
-1.31
+.57
-41.75
Pond
Pond
Number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Equalization
Basin
Total Acres
Sizes
Surface
Acres
16.36
21.86
18.56
4.66
7.70
10.95
12.08
35.0
127.17
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OPERATION AND MONITORING
      The effluent produced by the
      Pinetop-Lakeside Sanitary
      District^ treatment plant has
the following characteristics:
Range Mo. Avg.
Biological
Oxygen
Demand
Total
Suspended
Solids
Turbidity
2-3 mg/l
1-13mg/l
2.1-5.4ntu
2.4 mg/l
6.4 mg/l
3.6 ntu
  The treated wastewater is provided
to a combination of the 7 ponds each
year in accordance with the habitat
management plan. Waterfowl habitat
needs and plant requirements are the
primary factors affecting management
of the ponds and marsh.
  As water proceeds from one pond
to another in the marsh, nitrogen and
phosphorus are removed from the
water. These nutrients are taken up by
plants and animals and contribute to
the overall productivity of the marsh.
The following summarizes the removal
rates for nitrogen and phosphorus for
the months of February, March, April
and May 1991:

Effluent
Pondl
Pond 2
Total N
(mg/l)
20.35
6.23
5.35
Total P
(mg/l)
7.90
4.10
4.75
                                     Aerial view of treatment facility.
  In addition to monitoring surface
water quality, the Pinetop-Lakeside
Sanitary District samples 3 shallow
wells on a quarterly basis to insure
groundwater quality is not being
impacted.
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RESPONSE
W M ijhat started out as a curiosity,
 MffUf putting wastewater to good
 W W use, has now become an
attraction to many forms of life. Visitors
are usually treated to a surprise package
of sights and sounds provided by a
vibrant marsh ecosystem.
  In the winter bald eagles are a
common sight and in the summer
peregrine falcons are occasionally
seen. The peak periods of waterfowl
use occur during the spring and fall
migration. The islands provide excellent
duck nesting habitat. Elk are attracted
to the marsh in the fall and winter
where they consume the dry vegetation.
  Of course the diversity of plants and
animals attracts many human visitors.
The area is popular with the viewing and
hunting public. Jacques Marsh is a point
of local pride. The residents of the cities
of Pinetop and Lakeside have supported
the project since it's inception.
  A major side benefit of the created
marshes has been the opportunity for
interaction with the local schools. The
marshes now function as outdoor class-
rooms where many environmental
principles are taught including recycling
and water cleanup. In 1989 a local group
of 140 fourth graders were treated to
the sight of a peregrine falcon hunting
shore birds as they toured the wetland.
                                                                             Elk using Jacques Marsh.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
     Jacques Marsh is the result of
     many agencies and individuals
     working toward common goals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency provided much of the funding
under the Clean Water Act. The
Pinetop-Lakeside Sanitary District
provided funding and constructed the
system.'The Arizona Game and Fish
Department agreed to maintain the
wetland after construction. The Apache/
Sitgreaves National Forests provided
255 acres of land and developed the
habitat. The Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality provided
technical guidance and operational
permits for the facility.
  The wetland came together as a result
of dedicated effort, and a vision of the
future held by several people. Adrian
Hill, District Forest Ranger of the
Apache/Sitgreaves National Forests,
and Jack O'Neil, Game Specialist for the
Arizona Game and Fish Department,
worked hard at garnering their respec-
tive agencies support for the project.
U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Biologists
Leon Fager and James McKibben
provided the technical and planning
support to make the project viable.
The Board of Directors of the Pinetop-
Lakeside Sanitary District played a key
role in obtaining the support of the local
communities. This group of dedicated
individuals didn't permit doubt, policy,
politics, or the "but it's never been done
here before" attitude to stop them...
Jacques Marsh is a tribute to them and
to many others who followed for the
past 17 years.
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