SCERP Project Number: BEAT
Principal Investigator: Jana Fry and Duncan T. Patten
Arizona State University
Goal: Work with officials and citizens of the Upper Santa Cruz River Basin to plan short and long-term strategies for assuring long-term water supplies with high water quality in the basin.
Rationale: In evaluating water resource needs of the region it was decided that a non-technical bilingual water resources pamphlet should be produced for general distribution to city and county officials, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and citizen interest groups. Provision of this user-friendly pamphlet on binational water resources fills an information gap, assists in information analysis and provides a tool for citizen participation. The pamphlet outlines basic hydrologic resource information and sets forth recommendations for future water management strategies. Regional water quantity/quality conditions and concerns are addressed.
Approach: A meeting of regional water resource managers and researchers was convened to discuss pertinent data on water resources in the area and to review relevant literature for the Upper Santa Cruz River Basin. Abstracts from a literature review and summaries addressing water resources in the region were compiled. A Geographic Information System was used to map several different types of existing water resource data such as well locations, water sampling results, industry locations, water depths and well capacities. Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Nogales, Sonora was contracted to provide Mexican data for water resources in the basin, abstract Mexican literature, and assist with document translation. For a related project, data from the GIS was made available to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for the Nogales Wellhead Protection Program which is a citizen driven process designed to proactively protect public drinking water supplies through land use recommendations. Citizen review and input for the pamphlet is to be solicited through the Binational Health Coalition which meets monthly in Nogales.
Status: A pamphlet titled "Water Resources of the Upper Santa Cruz River Basin/Recursos Hidraulicos en la Cuenca Alta del Rio Santa Cruz" has been printed, as two separate documents, one in English and one in Spanish. The pamphlet is being distributed through the Center of Environmental Studies at ASU and COLEF to federal, state, county, and city agencies as well as community groups and non-governmental organizations. Additional copies will be available on request through ASU and COLEF. The final document takes into account feedback received from agencies, community groups, and non-governmental organizations on both sides of the border.
Potential Users/Technology Transfer:
Because a GIS was used to map water resource information, it is possible that Santa Cruz County, the Cities of Nogales, Colegio de la Frontera Norte and others may be able to utilize this data depending on the current GIS technology they are using. Availability of digital data also makes it possible to set up a 'data viewing' environment for public use. This might be done by making a PC with software such as 'ArcView' available at the Nogales Public Library, the City of Nogales or some other publicly accessible place. COLEF and ASU have applied for a Border 2000 Grant from EPA to set up twin GIS viewing facilities in Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora.
Other Personnel:
Colegio de la Frontera Norte has been involved in this project and has provided valuable input for the Mexican water resources in the Upper Santa Cruz River Basin. Mexican data has been incorporated into the GIS when possible. COLEF is assisting with writing and translating the final document. The Border Ecology Project has also been very instrumental in facilitating a working relationship with existing binational networks and organizations. BEP provided data and general input for the pamphlet resulting from this project.
The FY92 SCERP-supported phase of this project: P-18
The FY93 SCERP-supported phases of this project:: WQ93-12
and BEAT
Last updated 7/1/99