CSE's Interest in Drought and Water Issues

CSE is involved in projects and research focusing on water issues on the Colorado Plateau. The Center for Sustainable Environments is interested in seeing how the issues facing groundwater, surface flows in rivers and streams, and artesian flows of freshwater springs can be better integrated, hydrologically, ecologically and legally.
 

Fossil Creek Watershed and Riparian Restoration
Fossil Creek is a unique warm-water perennial stream that flows from a complex of springs 14 miles to the Verde River. Located in the Mazatzal Mountains in central Arizona, Fossil Creek flows through remote and rugged terrain including a portion of the Mazatzal Wilderness. Fossil Springs produced a constant supply of water that is approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the creek is known for its travertine pools.

Most of the flows from the springs at Fossil Creek have been diverted to power the Childs-Irving Hydroelectric Facility for the past 100 years. Arizona Public Service (APS) signed an Agreement in Principle in 1999 to decommission the facility and return full flows to Fossil Creek. Decommissioning was originally scheduled to occur in late 2004, with APS returning full flows of approximately 43 cfs (cubic feet per second) to Fossil Creek by June, 2005.

The restoration of full flows at Fossil Creek provides one of the best opportunities for stream and riparian restoration in the Southwest where over 90% of wetland and riparian areas have been lost or severely degraded over the last century. (more...)

Southwest Drought Summit - May 2003
A “Southwest Drought Summit” was held at NAU in May, 2003 to bring together regional experts and decision makers to assess drought impacts and potential response scenarios. An emerging concern is that the drought may be the long-term norm and the Southwest is emerging from an unusual “wet” period of several decades. The environmental consequences of a new precipitation regime have tremendous policy implications for municipal, regional and land management decision makers. (more information...)

An Interdisciplinary Approach - Getting the Big Picture
Water makes the world go 'round, especially in the arid Intermountain West. Hundreds of NAU-based environmental projects have as their focus water conservation, allocation and use by humans or by other species. Many of these projects are interdisciplinary, involving not only hydrologists and engineers, but groundwater geologists, riparian ecologists, political scientists, historians and environmental educators as well. They evaluate not only water use (and reuse) efficiency, but water equity among urban and rural residents, industry, agriculture and tribes. As Hopi educator and activist Vernon Masayesva has said, "Water is like glue, it has the capacity to bring us all together."

Of course, historically, the scarcity of water in the West has pitted human uses against wildlife uses, urban growth against agricultural persistence, and immigrant cultures against native cultures. Today, advocates for many of these interests frequently come together at the same table to negotiate "win-win" solutions: recycling treated sewage to irrigate recreational parks rather than diminishing quality groundwater that can be better used for drinking or for vegetable crop production. Hydroelectric power generation -- which provides about 3% of the energy used on the Colorado Plateau - is mandated to take into account habitat needs of endangered species using the Colorado River corridor. Many of CSE's partners -- from the Grand Canyon Research and Monitoring Center to the Verde Watershed Research and Education Program -- are engaged in these issues.

The Center for Sustainable Environments is interested in seeing how the issues facing groundwater, surface flows in rivers and streams, and artesian flows of freshwater springs can be better integrated, hydrologically, ecologically and legally. We have coordinated the support for several work groups - such as the Intertribal Springs and Wetlands Restoration Task Force and the Environmental Justice Task Force - which will carry such work to new levels. We encourage your ideas and feedback as well.

Online Resources Focusing on Water and Drought:
We've started this list of links to help you learn about these issues in our region.

Some of the Current Projects Focusing on Water:

The Interrelations of Water and Energy
Water and energy are rarely considered together although their infrastructures are inextricably linked. This is especially true in the West where water is used for cooling electrical generating plants and where electricity is used to move water over vast distances and high elevations. On the average in the eight Intermountain western states, fossil fuel generation of 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity requires one-half gallon of water. Dominated by coal and gas fired steam generating plants, electrical generation in the Intermountain West consumes over 650 million gallons of water per day, primarily for condensing steam that has been used to drive turbines (Last Straw, p. 1). This is enough water to meet the needs of four million people, about the population of the state of Colorado. (more...)
Or  view the Water and Energy Fact Sheet

Springs on the Colorado Plateau
Intertribal Springs and Wetlands Restoration Task Force
From the Hopi mesas to the White Mountains, efforts are underway to restore these critically-important habitats for migratory and resident wildlife. The Center for Sustainable Environments bridges spring restoration efforts occurring both on and off reservations.

CSE Student Research on the N-Aquifer
In recent years the springs in the area have shown a severe decline in viability. People close to the situation have diverging opinions of the causes of this impending cultural catastrophe, but the severity of the impacts on indigenous peoples in the area cannot be debated.

The Beginning and the End of the Colorado River:
Protecting the Sources, Ensuring Its Courses
by Gary Paul Nabhan

Watershed Research and Education Program
WREP's mission is water resources research, outreach and education in northern and central Arizona watersheds.

 

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