OCTOBER MEETING CANCELLED

DIRECTOR AND MEMBERS TRAINING FOR ISOTOPE FIELD WORK IN THE ST. DAVID CIENEGA WITHIN NEXT TWO WEEKS!

ASSESSMENT OF THE ST. DAVID CIENEGA

Director Mary McCool and Carmen Miller are attending training in Safford October 29th and 30th to learn more about the Isotope Testing that will be conducted at the St. David Cienega within the next several weeks.

Spring Stewardship Institute (Museum of Northern Arizona), will provide the two day training. This training normally has a registration fee of $250 per person.

Training is being offerred through a grant opportunity to Safford BLM and Eastern Arizona College Honors Biology students who will be assisting with the spring inventory project.

On Nov. 3rd, testing at the St. David Cienega will be conducted by BLM and graduate students from the Chicago Botanical Gardens.

Isotope testing from moisture removed from the stems of vegetation is expected to provide information regarding the source of water to the Cienega.

Information collected by the November investigation will be shared with the National Riparian Service Team before their December visit to the Cienega at which time NRST will complete a Proper Functionig Assessment.

The St. David Cienega was added to the scope of the work after nine members of the Community Watershed Alliance met with BLM repeatedly to discuss the need for developing a common vision and shared management strategy for possible restoration.

THE NATIONAL RIPARIAN SERVICE TEAM RETURNING TO REPORT FINDINGS ON THE SAN PEDRO

In the fall of 2010, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requested assistance from the National Riparian Service Team (NRST) relative to issues concerning the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA).

In April of this year, the NRST and interested parties walked the 40 miles of river within the SPRNCA (see adjacent map) to assess the Proper Function Condition on a reach-by-reach basis.

The riparian site potential and existing conditions will have been discussed and documented, and should provide insights for how best to monitor/manage conditions in the future.

CWA will receive copies of the report mid-November for review.

A community presentation in Sierra Vista is scheduled for December 5th, 5:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. at the City of Sierra Vista Police Department at 911 N. Coronado Drive.

Wet-Dry maps of nearly 175 miles of the San Pedro River from below the Mexican border to the town of Winkelman are now posted. The wet/dry mapping is used to historically track the river’s health by monitoring the persistence of surface water during the driest time of each year.

CWA has coordinated the efforts within the Middle San Pedro for six years. After a yearly training refresher, the 8 teams of equestrians, hikers and ATVers are ready to be on the river from approximately 5:30 A.M. to approximately 11:00 A.M.- traveling 9 stretches of the river varying from 3 to 8 miles across lands to which property owners provide permission. Data collection routinely is scheduled for the third Saturday in June.

Click here for maps.

CWA representatives attended the October 15th presentation by Cochise County Extension Agent Mark Apel. Mark presented the maps and results of a county-wide analysis of the suitability for utility-scale solar installations recently conducted by the U of A and Cochise County Cooperative.

Primary focus was Benson's solar potential from a land use perspective. Local maps were provided illustrating suitability for small scale projects of 5 Megawatts or less as well as larger scale suitability for greater than 5 Megawatts.

Modeling effort removed areas under federal and state management as well as land within 600' of washes, land with highly eroidable soils, and slopes greater than 2%. Modeling analyized every 1100 square feet of remaining space (approximately 0.02 acres). Consideration was given to physical factors such as directional face of slopes and economic factors such as proximity and capacity of nearby transmission lines, proximity to substations, roads, railroads, etc.

Click here for Meeting Handouts

NEW DOMESTIC WELL STUDY SUPPORTS WATER USE NUMBER

A new study in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed by Western Resource Advocates and Plateau Resources, LLC. was conducted to determine the indoor and outdoor conservation potential regarding domestic wells. Richard Burtell, formerely with ADWR, reviewed study detail with those attending a recent meeting of the San Pedro Partnership.

Conclusions indicate that water use by domestic wells can be reduced through targeted conservations programs. Pre-1997 construction is an important factor.

Several side notes of importance:

1) All indoor use discharged to septic systems does not recharge the aquifer due to loss and evapotranspiration. The amount recharged is dependent on depth of leach field - likely < 1/3 of indoor use, and

2) The study supports well demand per household of 2.4 people as being closer to 312 gallons per day versus the 800 gallons per day as previously used by Planning and Zoning to justify greater density housing permits in areas originally RU 4.

Click for indepth study presentation.

WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH ADWR WATER STUDY FOR BENSON SUBWATERSHED?

CWA has been busy contacting many associated with "Water" to determine what conversations are happening regarding the ADWR/USGS Hydrogeologic Investigation that was started in October of 2005. The seven initial objectives were to provide invaluable information such as the shape, size and parameters of the groundwater system and a predictive numerical model of the groundwater system that could be used by planners and water managers. See initial overview.

After budget crunches in 2010, USGS continued to conduct groundwater monitoring, completing ET estimates, and evaluating underflow and storage estimates. By the end of 2012, USGS lead Jesse Dickinson says a report on the water budget and groundwater flow system should be available to the public..

In January, USGS presented to ADWR staff a review of Rural Watershed Initiative Projects that included the Benson study. ADWR requested USGS prepare a proposal to complete the numerical groundwater model. In August, USGS presented the proposal to ADWR for a three-year project totaling $800,000. Since ADWR continues to have limited funding, this proposal was not approved.

Further conversations with James Leenouts, USGS, and former ADWR Tom Whitmer, indicated an alternative proposal might be forthcoming that more closely reflected the remainder of the original plan for approximately $250,000 and as more money became available greater sensitivity analysis could be completed.

CWA is awaiting a summary page of the scope of work for both proposals and a possible timeframe for presentation of the alternative proposal to ADWR.

NATIONAL RIPARIAN SERVICE TEAM: Feb., March, and April, CWA continued to support efforts of the National Riparian Service Team based upon relationship from co-hosting an NRST workshop on Wetland Health with a site visit to the St. David Cienega.

Members attended numerous workshops in the classroom and field to learn more about the Proper Functioning Condition evaluation process.

SOLAR ENERGY AND WATER USE: CWA prepared packets for Benson P & Z Commissioners along with a review at the March Public Hearing. Information provided to P & Z included water use of server farms, peaker plants, etc. and sample ordinances for management of impacts

Click here for CWA letter to Planning and Zoning

PARTICIPANT IN QUARTERLY ECOLI STUDY DISCUSSIONS: In addition to the Watershed Improvement Council (WIC) work sessions, CWA Representatives attended the May 18th Riparian Buffer Assessment Workshop with Dr. Phil Guertin. Both classroom lecture and field work illustrated how observations are used to assess the current functionality of the watershed in its ability to filter pollutants from runoff.

During later discussions, CWA presented Powerpoint to WIC regarding their use of Wet-Dry Information. CWA explained its committment to private property owners --specific raw data collected on private property is not available to other agencies or individuals. The map representation is, however, public information. CWA highlighted the limitations of repurposing any Wet-Dry information without fully understanding the protocol used for collecting data.

2010 ADEQ grant for $265,551 was awarded to Coronado Resource Conservation & Development, Inc. to form a watershed improvement council and rectify E.coli problems in San Pedro River near St. David.

The grant has been extended to June 2013. Originally, a water improvement plan was to be written by the end of September of this year based upon data collected. During low flow, normal conditions, there are no exceedances. In winter, there are no exceedances unless big storm event. Exceedance values are during storm events with data collection indicating that the water coming into the study area is already at exceedance values.

Focus during extension period is expected to include developing an educational Best Management Practice that will include students, and ranching community around the St. David area. Suggestion was also made to consider the value of woody brush management and promotion of native grasses to improve quality of buffer zones.

HOSTED MAY 22ND NOXIOUS AND INVASIVE SPECIES WORKSHOP – CLASSROOM AND IN THE FIELD: Focus on accurate identification, appropriate treatment without spreading, and monitoring for new infestations. Instructor Kim McReynolds – Cooperative Extensions.

"Noxious Weed" - any species of plant which is, or like to be, detrimental or destructive and difficult to control or eradicate.

"Invasive Weeds" - are non-indigenous plants that take over and destroy native species.

Click here for identifying pictures and map of known sites.

Focus was on the Mescal-J6 area where there are recorded sites of Invasive Malta Starthistle. The one reported site of Onion Weed is no longer evident.

No sites are recorded in the Benson area.

RIPARIAN VEGETATION MONITORING: In June, CWA not only collected Wet-Dry data but also provided field support for Dr. Gabriel Katz doing ASU Riparian Vegetation Monitoring since 2006.

Three sites with over nine transects are monitored every one to two years.

Information collected is used in variety of ways.

HOSTED SUNZIA PRESENTATION: Cascabel Working Group presented collection of significant impacts related to the SunZia Powerline proposal.

Many impacts are directly related to the magnitude of proposed road infrastructure and grading:: 45 miles of twin towers with offsets of 400’, requiring spur roads between towers. In addition,each of the estimated 326 - 16 story towers in the Middle San Pedro River Valley would likely require clearing of almost an acre of land.

The Middle SPRV through which the SunZia transmission routes are proposed is the last relatively intact and largely unfragmented extended landscape in the desert Southwest through which runs a major free-flowing river.

Likewise, it is an intact cultural landscape in an area of one of the longest and most complex continuous archaeological records in North America (spanning 12,000 years).

An impressive suite of federal, state and county agencies, NGOs and private partners have attested to this importance by the investment of many millions in a large amalgam of protected conservation sites.

Click here for CWG presentation.

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: Six prepresentatives who had previously worked with Entrix as they developed their ecosystem services evaluation tool attended USPP Meeting where BLM-USGS presented their Ecosystem Services Evaluation Pilot. Ecosystem services are "Components of nature, directly enjoyed, consumed, or used to yield human well-being”.

Information continued to support CWA's experience/research with Entrix - tools require major time commitment, are in the developmental stage, and must be evaluated carefully before selection and implementation. Presentation suggests time needed to do feasibility study and associated phases will not make this type tool a useful option for BLM as they revise their Management Plan.

EPA HEARING: Aug. 15 – Representatives attended EPA Hearing at Cochise College.

"EPA overrides Az. Plan with federal plan to reduce oxides of nitrogen which will impose hundreds of millions of dollars on utilities---and, by extension, their customers".…multiple Az newspapers

ADEQ…no discernible identifiable difference in visibility at the Grand Canyon and other natural parks between the less-expensive plan supported by ADEQ and what EPA wants.

Click here for News-Sun Coverage