Friends of the Verde River Executive Director W. David Gressly presented the 2025 Verde River Watershed Report Card to the Camp Verde Town Council at its special session on March 11.
The watershed report card is a tool used to assess the watershed’s health, increase public awareness and help guide decision-makers on how to support the watershed’s long-term sustainability. The 2020 report card was the first comprehensive assessment of the watershed and measured indicators using input and data from regional stakeholders.
The report looks at the Verde River watershed divided into seven different regions. The 2025 report earned a C+ with a score of 58%. This increased by 1% from 2020’s report card score of 57%.
The report is broken into three categories — water, habitat and community — that assess 17 different indicators. The water category scored 48%, or a C. Water quality certainty saw improvements but the water quality index and macroinvertebrates decreased. Macroinvertebrates were the lowest scoring indicator, but this is mainly due to lack of data from three of the seven regions.
The habitat category scored 63% [B-] which improved from 54% in 2020. There was an improvement in improved upland habitat condition and riparian birds.
The community category scored 62% [B-] which was a slight decline from 2020 but recreation planning and unemployment rates improved.
The highest scoring indicators overall watershed-wide were visitor satisfaction and riparian birds.
Camp Verde is located in the Lower Verde Valley Region which earned an individual score of B-. This score remained stable, increasing from 62% to 63% from 2020. This region has very high scores in recreation indicators, like visitor satisfaction and recreation planning and access, and has the highest score of all regions for civic engagement in the watershed.
Gressly discussed the indicators of interest in 2025’s report, including depth to groundwater which was not included as an indicator in 2020. This methodology aims to quantify the groundwater level throughout the watershed. FOTVR used data from the Arizona Department of Water Resources Groundwater Site Inventory to evaluate changes in groundwater elevation through time. Scores for the entire watershed improved overall from 47% in 2020 to 51% in 2025.
The native fish score remained consistent at 47%. Certain regions received low scores due to low diversity, while other regions scored points for high diversity of native fish species.
Macroinvertebrates are key indicators of water quality, but the only surveys assessed between 2019 and 2024 were in the first year. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality plans to develop a long-term statewide sampling plan to have more accurate data.
Digital engagement decreased in scores for every region except Oak Creek, but this is because each score for this indicator is relative to other regions. The report states that Oak Creek is the most popular tourist destination, so its increasing popularity results in lower scores for the other regions. This indicates a need to distribute recreational activities to other regions to prevent overuse.
The water quality certainty scoring method has changed since 2020. This scoring grades how confident FOTVR and stakeholders are in their understanding of the water quality but does not grade the water quality itself.
The water quality score was the lowest score on the 2020 report card at 27%, reflecting a need for a more coordinated effort across organizations in the watershed. FOTVR secured funding to start a water quality monitoring effort with ADEQ’s Community Science Alliance water quality monitoring program. The Verde Watershed Restoration Coalition partners worked to develop a watershed-wide water quality monitoring plan which has guided sampling coordination with AZCSA. The watershed wide score for water quality certainty has improved from 27% in 2020 to 79% in 2025.
The upland condition scores reflect the upland areas of the watershed which are crucial for a healthy river. Erosion in the uplands can increase river sediment which can cause sediment buildup and water quality issues downstream. This scoring index improved from 36% in 2020 to 49% in 2025. The 2020 scores helped land managers and their partners see a project gap, leading to the funding and implementation of upland restoration projects. One such project at Munds Draw in Prescott National Forest involved installing rock structures and juniper slash into gullies to reduce erosion. The Flowing Springs project on the Tonto National Forest involved installing fencing to close off vehicle access to a riparian and upland area which were experiencing habitat degradation and gullying.
Visit verdereportcard.org for more information.
