WSP12623 ‎(2)‎

• File Number: 8220.101.10
• Description: Colorado River Water Projects - Glen Canyon Dam-Lake Powell - Adaptive Management
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 3/1/1997
• Author: Water Resources Research Center - Univ of AZ
• Title: Arizona Water Resource - Volume 6-Number 1 - March-April 1997 - 03-01-97
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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A R I Z

WATER

o N A

RESOURCE

Volume 6, No. 1

U.S. and Mexican
. Communities Share
River, Concerns

;;

A u.s. conservation organization
that works with communities to
resolve natural resource issues is
involved in a community-based pro-
ject in Mexico to improve conditions
along the Santa Cruz River.
In meetings conducted by the
Sonoran Institute with citizens of the
riverside towns of Santa Cruz and
San Miguel Hidalgo, discussions have
focused on how the river has changed
during the last 30 or 40 years and
how the changes have affected the
lives of residents.
A range of problems were identi-
fied including picnickers coming from
Nogales and overusing portions of the
river, pesticide runoff from agricultur-
alland, and livestock overgrazing the
area damaging streambaoks and affect-
ing water quality, said Mark Briggs of
the Sonoran Institute. Another con-
cern is the railroad that runs along
the Santa Cruz River on its route
between Cananea and Nogales.
continued on page 2

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CONTENTS

Water Vapors . . . . . . . 3

News Briefs ....... 4-5

Transitions . . . . . . . . . 5

Special Projects . . .. 6-7
Publications ....... 8-9

Announcements . 10, 12

Calendar .........11

March-April 1997

Desert tortoises enjay the calcium-rich blooms of desert globe mallows. Other fanciers
of drought-tolerant plants are eating up the Water Center's first CD-ROM, Desert
Landscaping. See 'Special Projects, >>pp. 6.7. (photo by Cathy Woodard)

Constructed Wetlands Treating More
of Arizona's Wastewater

Constructed wetlands represent a growth industty, as such facilities are
increasingly being used both in Arizona and throughout the nation. In 1990,
Arizona only had four constructed wetlands treating municipal wastewater.
Today 26 municipal and onsite constructed wetlands are now operating in the
state, with at least 24 others either awaiting approval or under construction.
(See graph on next page.)
(Constructed wetlands, a technology designed to mimic processes found in
natural wetland ecosystems, utilize wetland plants, soils and their associated
microorganisms to remove contaminants from wastewater.)
Kris Randall, unit manager for the Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality's Municipal Wastewater and Recharge Unit, notes that constructed
wetlands especially appeal to rura1 communities because they cost less than
conventional wastewater treatment plants, and these areas have the land such
systems require. "Because of those two factors we see rural communities
looking at constructed wetlands as their mode of treatment; says Randall.
For example, the town of Jerome recently chose to construct a wetlands to
treat its wastewater rather than a mechanical treatment plant. Maintenance of
the mechanical treatment plant was to cost about $1,000 per month while the
continued on page 2

WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH CENTER. THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA