Case Study: Saving the San Pedro River

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Case Study Saving the San Pedro River

• Adam Czekanski
• 17 November 2005

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Agenda

• Geographic Setting
• The Water Deficit
• Saving the San Pedro
• The Upper San Pedro Partnership
• Questions

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Geographic Setting

• Flows north from the mountains of Sonora, Mexico
• Perennial flow from Hereford to Fairbank, AZ (
  20 miles) due to groundwater forced to the
  surface by bedrock
• Remainder of river is primarily ephemeral

(Courtesy of the Upper San Pedro Partnership)
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The Water Deficit

• Groundwater that sustains the San Pedro is
  required by two primary groups
• The local community
• The ecosystem of the San Pedro River
• Recharge of groundwater occurs through
• Mountain front recharge
• Streambed infiltration
• Groundwater underflow from Mexico

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Local Community

• Greater Fort Huachuca / Sierra Vista community
• Farmers
• Ranchers
• Mining / Industry

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San Pedro Ecosystem

• Over four million birds use the San Pedro basin
  during yearly migration
• Supports 80 species of mammals (2nd most in the
  world)
• Home to more than 40 species of reptiles and
  amphibians

(Courtesy of the Aurora Community Watershed
Partnership)
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The Water Deficit
(Courtesy of the Upper San Pedro Partnership,
2005 Water Management and Conservation Plan)
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Saving the San Pedro

• 1988 Congress designates 69 km stretch of San
  Pedro as San Pedro Riparian National Conservation
  Area (SPRNCA)
• Livestock grazing, water diversions, and mining
  prohibited

(Courtesy of the Arizona Bureau of Land
Management)
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Upper San Pedro Partnership

• The Upper San Pedro Partnership (USPP) is a
  consortium of 21 agencies and organizations
• All agencies and organizations own or control
  land and/or water use, and have the ability and
  authority to identify and implement policies and
  projects

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Upper San Pedro Partnership(Land Owners and/or
Land or Water Use Controllers)

• Local Agencies
• Cochise County
• Sierra Vista
• Huachuca City
• Bisbee
• Tombstone
• State Agencies
• State Land Department,
• Dept. of Water Resources

• Federal Agencies
• Fort Huachuca
• Bureau of Land Management
• U.S. Forest Service
• National Park Service
• Bureau of Reclamation
• Other Organizations
• The Nature Conservancy
• Audubon Arizona
• Bella Vista Ranches

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Upper San Pedro Partnership(Resource Agencies)

• State Agencies
• Department of Environmental Quality
• Arizona Association of Conservation Districts
• Other Agencies
• Hereford NRCD (Natural Resource Conservation
  District)

• Federal Agencies
• U.S. Geological Survey
• USDA Agricultural Research Service
• Fish and Wildlife Service

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Upper San Pedro Partnership

• The overall goal of the USPP is to
• Ensure an adequate long-term groundwater supply
  is available to meet the reasonable needs of both
  the area's residents and property owners (current
  future) and the San Pedro Riparian NCA. (USPP
  Organizational Documents)
• USPP does NOT make policy decisions, but provides
  the framework to research, plan, fund, and
  implement projects and policies through member
  agencies
• Publishes annual Water Management and
  Conservation Plan as a working document to
  outline planning, research, and progress
• Seeks to eliminate deficit groundwater pumping by
  2011

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Upper San Pedro Partnership

• Planning
• Reduce current water use (efficient fixtures,
  better water practices by the public)
• Avoidance of future water use (legislation,
  ordinances)
• Methods to recharge the aquifer

(Courtesy of the Aurora Community Watershed
Partnership)
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Upper San Pedro Partnership

• Research
• Groundwater modeling
• Water augmentation studies
• San Pedro Riparian NCA studies

(Courtesy of the Aurora Community Watershed
Partnership)
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Upper San Pedro Partnership

• Implementation of Measures
• Recharging of aquifer with treated effluent by
  Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca
• Purchase and retirement of irrigated and grazing
  lands
• Large scale installation of water efficient
  fixtures
• Local laws governing turf use and care
• Coordination with Mexican government for
  conservation projects in headwater region
• Net groundwater demand has been cut nearly in
  half since late 2002

(Courtesy of the Aurora Community Watershed
Partnership)
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Upper San Pedro Partnership

• Funding (see chart)
• Project spending

(Courtesy of the Upper San Pedro Partnership)
(Courtesy of the Upper San Pedro Partnership)
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Questions

• What is the most critical feature of the Upper
  San Pedro Partnership that has enabled it to be
  so successful in such a short period of time?
• Will there come a point when the requirements for
  economic growth and prosperity in the Sierra
  Vista / Fort Huachuca area will outweigh the need
  to stringently protect the river and its
  ecosystem?

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