AZ Watershed Alliance (AWA) Rural Water Conference
(AWA agenda is at the end of the speech)
Speech at 5 pm on December 3, 2002
By Jim Crosswhite
EC Bar Ranch, Nutrioso, AZ

• Display the ECBarRanch.com website on CD on a large screen.
• Homepage features include projects with funding from various agencies, monitoring, outreach.
• Take a Tour describing recommendations in the Nutrioso Creek TMDL for Turbidity.
• The Riparian Restoration Implementation Plan (RRIP) provides guidelines for restoration.
• Monitoring (elk, fish, vegetation)
• Outreach (articles, Year of Clean Water event, EPA "319 Success Stories")
• Map of ranch showing practices

Other water and stream restoration issues:

1. Surface water concerns in Nutrioso. Increasing ground water use on private property is drying up Nutrioso Creek. As water levels fall, turbidity rises making it harder to remove the creek from the 303d list as an impaired water. Habitat is lost making it harder for T&E species, like the LC spinedace, to survive. As the water table declines, ranching economics suffer. Open spaces decrease.
2. Nutrioso Community Plan. There is a desire for open spaces but no guidelines or authority to control the use of ground water, such as water wells needed for new homeowners.
3. NEMO program. The Nonpoint Source Education of Municipal Officers program may not fully address needs of non-incorporated towns and county officials to control ground water use.
4. Surface water on public lands. Riparian zones are not in Proper Functioning Condition due in part to large ungulate grazing (livestock and elk). Forest Health initiatives to thin trees will result in more water flowing into streams and rivers in poor condition leading to erosion causing increased turbidity and other water quality problems downstream. Forest improvements must include riparian restoration to be sustainable. However, the plant materials needed for restoration are not readily available.
5. Plant materials and surface water. Private land owners should have incentives through long term contracts to grow plant materials, such as willow and cottonwood trees. Such "crops" would provide annual cuttings on a sustained basis, improve water quality, and wildlife habitat. If landowners could sell plant materials they would plant them, install fencing, control livestock grazing, and require less public funding for riparian restoration.
6. Riparian zone incentives program and surface water. Private land owners should have incentives to maintain riparian zones in PFC for the long term. A national Buffer Strip incentive program has proven very successful (see http://www.nacdnet.org/buffers). State and Federal grant programs do not address the long term maintenance issues. Riparian zones in PFC take much longer to dry up and thus extends the time to find solutions to uncontrolled ground water use.
7. Conservation easements and surface water. Incentive programs would increase riparian land values making them equal or greater than adjoining upland pastures suitable for real estate development. Higher appraised values make conservation easements more attractive. When use restrictions are placed on riparian zones, they are more likely to transport a sustainable water supply from the upper end of a watershed to other parts where it is needed. Ground water use still has to be controlled or surface water will dry up and no water will be available downstream.

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More details on each issue is presented below.

1. Surface water concerns in Nutrioso. Nutrioso Watershed is part of the Upper Little Colorado River Watershed (ULCR). We have one major water vein that runs parallel to Nutrioso Creek down the valley. As more people move to Nutrioso, ground water will be used for wells and the effect on surface water (mainly Nutrioso Creek) will reduce the water table until the creek is dry and the riparian zone lost forever. Since 90% of riparian zones in Arizona have already been lost due mainly to the use of ground water, it seems like some data needs to be collected, monitored, and actions taken to avoid further loss of surface water. If action is not taken, 80% of the wildlife that depend on a riparian zone at some point in their lives will also be lost, including fish such as the threatened LC spinedace who depend on water their entire lives. A water inventory is being developed for Nutrioso and will be considered along with other water inventories within the ULCR watershed. The use of surface water for irrigation purposes has been compatible with the supply of surface water for over 100 years. The problem is to stop using ground water because the uncontrolled use of water wells is slowly destroying the riparian zone.
2. Nutrioso Community Plan. A couple of years ago, I wrote the Environmental Component of the Nutrioso Community Plan. At the time, it seemed like enough was being done to restore and preserve Nutrioso Creek so my conclusion was that no zoning restrictions were needed. However, it appears that a water inventory for Nutrioso needs to be developed and guidelines created for the use of the very limited amount of water in this area. Some form of restrictions are needed soon to stop uncontrolled use of ground water by new residents who drill water wells that tap into reserves needed to supply surface water.
3. NEMO program. This process of riparian destruction due to urbanization and over use of natural resources is the BIG Picture urbanization issue that is being struggled with all over the country, but particularly in the southwest where our entire quality of life is tied to water and water quality. As you know, one of the programs the ADEQ and EPA are working on is NEMO, which stands for "nonpoint source education of municipal officers". What the program is supposed to do, in very brief terms, is pull together information about a watershed, develop computer models and educational materials to then 'teach' those who make planning and zoning decisions what the consequences of those decisions are regarding water. Example... If a developer builds houses in Nutrioso over looking Nutrioso Creek, what are the water quality (and quantity) impacts associated with that decision. As water quantity decreases in the Creek, turbidity rises creating water quality problems. Nutrioso Creek is already on the ADEQ/EPA 303d list as an impaired water and the Nutrioso Creek TMDL for Turbidity report recommends water quality improvement practices to address this problem. I have spent five years restoring about 3 miles of the Creek on my property which has improved water quality, water quantity, habitat, and ranching economics. However, without surface water, all these efforts and investment will be in vain.
4. Surface water on public lands. Since National forests surround Nutrioso, I have discussed conditions of riparian zones on public lands in our area with USFS and BLM staff. It seems clear that less than 30% are in proper functioning condition. This means 70% or more are in a degraded condition from "functional at risk in an upward trend" to "nonfunctional". As the "forest health" debate continues, tree thinning and controlled burns will probably be used to improve conditions. In the process, increased water will flow into degraded riparian zones leading to water quality problems for downstream water users, including myself. Unless immediate action is taken to plant vegetation at a rate faster than large ungulates (elk and livestock) can eat it, then tree thinning and other forest improvement practices will be unsustainable over the long run. When combined with increasing ground water use on private lands, the trend toward fewer riparian zones and less wildlife will continue in the State of Arizona. Riparian zone restoration should be a top priority in the forest health improvement process.
5. Riparian zone incentives program and surface water. For my small part, I have recommended a riparian zone incentives program be developed on a Federal level to address the problem of long term riparian zone maintenance on private property. There is a national buffer strip incentives program that has placed 1.3 million miles of buffer strips across the country which could be used as a model. Interestingly, not a single foot has been signed up in Arizona even though we do have some riparian zones. The new Farm Bill has made some improvements to the buffer strip program. I might be the first land owner to enroll in this State. It seems logical that a sister program to the buffer strip program is needed to provide incentives for riparian zone maintenance. Such a program would start to address long term water quality and water quantity problems. A substantial degree of support is needed before a riparian zone incentives program could be created on a State or Federal level.
6. Plant materials and surface water. Another idea that I have proposed is to offer long term contracts to private land owners who will grow plant materials such as willows and cottonwood trees. Once plants are established, annual cuttings can be taken for planting in nearby riparian zones that need restoration. The proceeds from the sale of plant materials would provide private land owners, especially those with riparian zones, incentive to grow sustainable crops. Plantings in riparian zones would help improve water quality and wildlife habitat without further public funding for such activities. If the use of ground water on private lands causes a continued decline in surface water, it will be impossible to use irrigation to grow the large quantities of plant materials needed to restore riparian zones on public lands.
7. Conservation easements and surface water. For my part as a private riparian zone land owner, I intend to continue to implement water quality and habitat improvement practices because I can see the benefits translated into improved ranching economics. I could do more over the long term by participation in the buffer strip program, a riparian zone incentives program, and a plant materials contract. Once in Proper Functioning Condition, I could use a conservation easement to preserve my riparian zone for perpetuity. My growing concern is that ground water use in Nutrioso will continue to increase without any oversight or control by Apache County government authorities. On the positive side, Nutrioso is at the upper end of the watershed with 8-11,000 ft mountains all around Nutrioso Valley. Hopefully, those who live at lower elevations and further from the source of water will help us keep surface water flowing down to them.

The Arizona Watershed Alliance (AWA) will be hosting the
ARIZONA RURAL WATER CONFERENCE 2002
When: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, December 3rd through 5th, 2002
Where: Apache Gold Conference Center and Resort - Globe, AZ

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES - DAY ONE:

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES - DAY TWO:

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES - DAY THREE:

PRESS RELEASE

THE ARIZONA WATERSHED ALLIANCE (AWA) WILL BE HOSTING THE ARIZONA RURAL WATER PLANNING CONFERENCE 2002 ON DECEMBER 3RD, 4TH & 5TH AT THE APACHE GOLD CONVENTION CENTER, IN SAN CARLOS - APPROXIMATELY FIVE MILES EAST OF GLOBE, ARIZONA ON HWY 60.

This Conference will provide a forum for statewide stakeholders to discuss Rural Arizona Water Issues and develop short and long term goals to address them. Conference presenters will address identified issues and related topics to provide a basis for the stakeholder dialog group discussions to be held during the second and third days. "The issues identified during the Conference will serve as the basis for future discussions and forums regarding water management in rural Arizona. We will begin to address these issues in the upcoming legislative session," said Representative Tom O'Halleran (R- District 1), Chair-elect of the House Natural Resources, Water and Native American Affairs Committee.

Topics and issues identified for discussion will include - Statewide Planning Efforts through the Arizona Department of Water Resources, Arizona Legislative Session 2003, Rural Water Supplies & Introduction to Water Budgeting, Rural Water Infrastructure, Water Issue Case Studies, Watershed Management Options, Watershed Modeling, Ground Water & Surface Water Relationships and Funding Options. Additional issues will be discussed during the stakeholder dialog group meeting process.

Guest speakers will include: Incoming Senate President Ken Bennett (R-District 1), and Incoming House Natural Resources, Water and Native American Affairs Committee.
Chair Tom O'Halleran (R-District 1).

A Conference Summary of Proceedings, outlining the issues discussed and established goals, will be published and made available to Conference participants and other interested parties by the end of December 2002.

This will be a great opportunity to receive an education on rural water issues and provide valuable input to the on-going efforts to address them. Registrations are still being taken on a space available basis.

Footnote: The Arizona Watershed Alliance is an alliance of 17 regional Watershed Planning Groups located throughout rural Arizona. These planning groups are the result of Governor Hull's Rural Watershed Initiative Program established during the 1999-2000 legislative session. Additional information about the AWA can be obtained at www.water.az.gov/watershed

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