Pictured, standing: Victoria Hermosilla, graduate student with the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, facilitates the small group discussion on environment and recreation, during the Sept. 6 Small-Town Water Forum, held in Miami’s Bullion Plaza.

The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) has released its summary of the Small-Town Water Forum, held Sept. 6 in Miami’s Bullion Plaza.

Funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART program, the Cobre Valley Watershed Partnership (CVWP) is being created over the next two years to implement needed watershed projects in the area.

In its summary, the Center acknowledged “the dedication and participation” of the more than 50 people who attended the Sept. 6 forum, said Ashley Hullinger, research analyst with the Center’s Water RAPIDS (Water Research and Planning Innovations for Dryland Systems) program.

“The quality and depth of ideas about regional water resources laid excellent groundwork for next steps,” she said. “From the informative presentations in the morning to the break-out discussions in the afternoon, participants offered a variety of challenges, opportunities and actions to consider.”

The proposed actions were defined and assigned priorities, based on focus group discussions and voting by participants, Hullinger said.

Coordinating with the Bureau of Reclamation, the CVWP and other community partners, “we will pursue research and action planning” around the list of priorities created at the Sept. 6 forum, she said.

The top seven priorities, as proposed by forum participants, are listed here by category:

System Efficiency/Conservation

Develop a comprehensive water budget;

Expand land management practices to better use storm water flows and quality.

Economy/Development

Set a framework for private-public partnerships for long-term water supply resilience;

Explore the feasibility of matching water quality to use.

Recreation/Environment

Foster ecological stewardship to preserve, enhance and manage natural resources for resilience, adaptation and restoration/transformation;

Combine and share both knowledge and resources under guiding philosophies for collective impact.

Water Awareness

Educate the public and decision-makers to increase awareness and motivate action.

The priorities will be further evaluated through an online survey the Center plans to send to a broader audience next month, Hullinger said.

The goal of the online survey will be to “get public feedback on the priorities” proposed by forum participants, she told the Silver Belt.

“We had well-informed, big thinkers in the room (that) Thursday, so we have a great start with our priority ideas. To be fully iterative and transparent, we need as much public participation and buy-in as possible,” Hullinger said. “Along with confirming if a larger audience agrees with the priorities from the forum, we would like to poll people on the necessary first steps to achieve those priorities.”

The Center plans to complete and distribute a full forum summary report, including more detailed notes and results, within a month, she said.

“Other ideas generated during the forum’s small group discussions will also be considered for incorporation into a ‘Water Resources Objectives Report,’” Hullinger said.

The next forum will be held “in the spring of 2019 to report back on progress and move forward with actions,” likely in March, she told the Silver Belt.

The Center’s summary states that the Globe-Miami area faces “complex water supply and infrastructure challenges that have impacts on community well-being and future prospects.”

Asked about those challenges, Hullinger said they include:

Declines in Globe’s water supply aquifers;

Surficial/shallow aquifer contaminated by past mining, industrial and domestic wastewater disposal practices;

Costly water distribution system repairs due to aging infrastructure;

Cesspools in the Tri-Cities area impeding economic development;

Extensive bedrock exposure results in relatively high runoff and small water storage capabilities compared to southern parts of the state.

Arizona’s population is expected to grow. On the low end, overall it may increase by 2.5 million people by 2050 and, on the high end, the increase may be five million people by 2050.

“It is an open question what impact this growth will have on Cobre Valley,” she said.

The trend in long-term increasing temperature is likely to affect the watershed’s water resources and environmental conditions. Frequency of fires may increase as air temperature increases, drying out fuel sources. Land affected by fire is more likely to have increased runoff and erosion, and associated waterways may experience atypical flooding and impaired water quality, Hullinger said.

Concerns among private well owners about possible health risk, as testing had found that numerous supply wells had been contaminated over the years with metals, sulfate, acidity and high levels of dissolved solids in the area from Miami to Wheatfields, along Pinal Creek.

“More generally, the prevalent challenge for local governments and environmental organizations in Cobre Valley, and throughout Arizona, is the difficulty in garnering public participation in water resources management and decision-making,” she told the Silver Belt.

While the situation can stem from “many root causes,” said Hullinger, “oftentimes a lack of public awareness, as well as opportunities for participation are primary factors.”

In conversations with local residents, it was reiterated that Cobre Valley communities are “distanced from their water resources to the point that citizens might not know what questions to ask of their government,” she told the Silver Belt. “Through further education and training for community members and public works employees, regional water resource conservation and management can be improved.”

“Subject material could cover water usage/sustainability; rain water harvesting and its ability to reduce domestic consumption rates; grey water reuse; the purpose and function of specific operations and procedures, such as proper sampling techniques; and the current and future state of regional water resources,” Hullinger said.

Membership in the CVWP is open to any interested individual or organization.

For more information, or to become involved in a CVWP working group, contact Ashley Hullinger, with U of A WRCC, at 520-621-8252 or via e-mail hullinger@e-mail.arizona.edu or Susanna Eden at 520-621-5670 or via e-mail at seden@e-mail.arizona.edu

(Editor’s note: This is the second story in a series on the Cobre Valley Watershed Partnership. Look for future stories in upcoming editions of the Arizona Silver Belt.)

A bar graph shows the top priorities set by the environment and recreation focus group, during small group discussion, held at the Sept. 6 Small-Town Water Forum, in Miami’s Bullion Plaza.