The Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP) San Vicente Creek River Stewardship Phase 1 project worked cooperatively with the Town of Silver City and private landowners to accomplish multiple objectives. Enjoyed by tourists and local residents alike, San Vicente Creek, its riparian corridor, and the trails and open space system are important natural assets that contribute to the vibrancy of downtown Silver City. The creek also provides important riparian habitat that serves as a corridor for migrating birds, including the state threatened Mexican Blackhawk, and other wildlife. The perennial reach of San Vicente Creek is the only watercourse in the Silver City watershed known to support a fishery.

Historically, extensive woodcutting and cattle grazing denuded vegetation from the Silver City watershed. Subsequent flooding incised drainages throughout the watershed and most acutely on San Vicente Creek where stormwater runoff incised the stream down to bedrock, and as deep as 55 feet in places, forming “The Big Ditch”. The Silver City Watershed is still in the process of recovering from this severe damage, but high volumes of storm water from streets and drains on top of these legacy incisions creates a continued threat to riparian habitat from high velocity/high volume flow that is exacerbated by extreme storm events as a consequence of climate change. Flood waters can cause erosion that not only destroys riparian habitat, but can also expose and damage the sewer pipeline and access to the sewer line in Pinos Altos and San Vicente creeks. The Town needs access to the sewer main in order to conduct routine maintenance to prevent sewage leaks that impair water quality. Sewer line access and maintenance needs to be carried out in a manner that allows for protection and restoration of riparian habitat, as well as management of Silver City’s trail system. Stabilization of stream banks, bed, and sewer line access is needed to balance these sometimes competing goals.

Building upon past work conducted by NMED, the San Vicente Creek River Stewardship Phase 1 project addressed water quality impairments and threats to riparian habitat in San Vicente Creek through non-native, invasive tree removal, native plant restoration, stream channel work to reconnect the floodplain, streambank protection and induced meandering, and construction of water harvesting infrastructure to capture urban stormwater runoff.