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Group says it won't poach Benson water
THELMA GRIMES
News-Sun
While San Pedro Valley residents become increasingly alarmed, Bob Strain of the Upper San Pedro Partnership (USPP) said Sierra Vista is not planning to "poach" Benson's water. Strain was on the defensive last week after a document examining the feasibility of transporting water from north of Benson to the Sierra Vista sub-watershed surfaced.
In an April 1 letter to Cochise County District 3 Supervisor Les Thompson, Strain said, "Unfortunately, and to my profound regret, this paper was written in a manner that led the uninformed reader to assume facts and decisions that are only speculative. The paper has not seen the light of day within the partnership, nor has it received any endorsement. Further, the document and accompanying charts were removed from the technical committee meeting and apparently distributed to many rightly concerned citizens in the Benson area."
Strain referred to the letter to Thompson as "damage control."
However, Thompson said the letter is of little comfort, noting his frustrations that he, as a Cochise County supervisor, residents of the San Pedro Valley and Benson City officials were not made aware of such a plan sooner.
"If they would have just kept us informed, I don't think it would have taken care of all the fever, but it would have tempered it," Thompson said. "I think if we sit here and allow such a plan to happen, we will be just giving our tax growth to Sierra Vista. I do believe that this is a real threat. Can we stop this threat? I think we can."
Why are citizens and elected officials in an uproar? According to the "paper" as Strain called it, in order to serve the municipal demand in the Sierra Vista area one solution drafted by the Arizona Bureau of Reclamation is to relocate the Sierra Vista sub-watershed wells to the Benson sub-watershed.
In the estimated $25 million to $32 million project, a 41-mile pipeline would be installed between the two watersheds.
"The project will use five existing wells on each of the purchased properties," according to the document. "The wells will feed into a manifold system to a storage tank reservoir located at the well field. A pipeline will then transport the water to a series of booster pumping stations that will convey the water to Sierra Vista. No significant peaking capacity will be required since a 4.5 to seven million-gallon reservoir at the end of the line will be provided.
"The easement for the conveyance pipeline will follow existing public roads in order to mitigate environmental impacts. The 50-foot easement will be adequate for installation. Additional fee title lands may be required for the larger booster station facilities."
Going into further detail into the cost to carry out the plan, the document states that the USPP would have to purchase the Dusty A-7 Farm, Whitehouse Farm and Kartchner Farm, all of which are located north of Benson near Cascabel.
Thompson referred to the thought of taking Benson water to replenish Sierra Vista's supply "a horrible idea."
Sharon Reid of the USPP, and the driving force behind the creation of the Middle San Pedro Partnership (MSPP), said to her knowledge, the Whitehouse Farm has been sold and is currently in escrow to an unidentified buyer, noting that the buyer is not the USPP. Reid further stated that the Kartchner and Dusty A-7 farms are also for sale, noting that the Nature Conservancy owns much of the land in the Cascabel area.
Christine Conte, spokeswoman for The Nature Conservancy in Tucson said to date they have not sold any land for water rights to the City of Sierra Vista.
Strain, also a Sierra Vista City Councilman and that city's mayor pro tem, stated on more than one occasion during the April 6 interview the document was "just one of many ideas" to achieve a zero balance between the pumpage and recharge of water in Sierra Vista and for the Fort Huachuca Army Base by the year 2011.
"The Bureau of Reclamation has been exploring a lot of options," Strain, chairman of the USPP advisory committee said. "Something like this doesn't just happen overnight. The paper is detailed, but that's because it was written as an engineer would write a true proposal. All of the alternatives were written in that matter. Either way, nobody is trying to get ahead at the expense of others. Please be assured that neither the City of Sierra Vista nor the Upper San Pedro Partnership is planning to poach Benson water. Nor is there any federal money to do so."
According to the document, the USPP has a set of three different price plans, which are based on the amount of water that will be imported to Sierra Vista from Benson.
In the first option, the study estimates the cost to be $25,639,009 to import 3,375 acre-feet of water annually. One acre-foot equals 326,000 gallons of water; this option would allow USPP to import 11,002,500 gallons annually.
The estimated cost includes: the purchase of land, installing wells, well power, on farm wells, collector pipes, booster station power, the main pipeline and a storage reservoir.
In the second option, by importing up to 4,271 acre-feet of water per year, or 139,23,460 gallons of water, is estimated to cost $28,493,035.
In the third option, the estimated cost is $32,771,563 to import 5,549 acre-feet of water, or 18,089,740 gallons annually.
The other alternatives Strain said included: transferring water from a Tombstone mine to Sierra Vista, from Bisbee mines to Sierra Vista and to start a curtailment of water use in the city.
Can this plan to reroute water from the San Pedro Valley to Sierra Vista become a reality? While Strain said "it is doubtful, this has not even seen the light of day by the (USPP advisory committee)," Reid said she could see it happening.
Reid, who admittedly supplied the document to Benson City officials, said the plan to "take Benson water," was the cheapest of all the alternatives.
"I did have permission from the (USPP) technical committee to release the document," Reid said. "I am extremely concerned about such a plan, especially being a San Pedro Valley resident. It is one of several possibilities, but they would not have put this kind of time and research into the project if it weren't a pretty good possibility. It is more than (Strain) is making it out to be."
"It wouldn't be fair to the residents here, and I don't think it's fair legally," Reid continued. "Though it is legal because it's in the basin and it's the cheapest way to balance their water budget. I think people need to be aware of this possibility now and not after it becomes a reality."
Equally concerned are the Benson City Council and administration.
City Manager Boyd Kraemer said even though Strain has assured the city the plan has not been set in motion, city officials are "still extremely concerned."
To get better prepared in the case USPP does try to pass the proposal, Kraemer said the City Council has unanimously approved hiring a water attorney to specify Benson's rights and help create a water policy.
When asked if she was aware of the growing water concern in Cochise County, State Sen. Marsha Arzberger (D-Willcox) said, "Yes, I am watching the water situation very closely."
However, when asked about the document that proposing the importation of water from the Benson sub-basin to the Sierra Vista basin, Arzberger said it is her understanding that the Upper San Pedro Basin, which is located near Sierra Vista and the middle San Pedro Basin, which surrounds the San Pedro Valley, were already connected.
Strain explained that the senator's assertion is correct. The basin of the San Pedro River between Sierra Vista and Benson are connected, he said, noting the sub-basins are not.
"You could say there is one water San Pedro watershed, but there are sub-basins," Strain said. "The difference being that a watershed is filled by the rain running off of the mountains (which runs above ground). In the sub-basin the water comes from underground."
Nonetheless, Strain said water problems are all over and it would be in the best interest of Sierra Vista, Benson and the rest of the San Pedro Valley to work together and find a solution.
The USPP is a consortium of 20 federal, state and local agencies working together to meet the water needs of area residents while protecting the San Pedro River.
The MSPP has recently been created. Reid said the partnership, which represents most of the San Pedro Valley, includes several state and local entities, including the City of Benson.
News-Sun
While San Pedro Valley residents become increasingly alarmed, Bob Strain of the Upper San Pedro Partnership (USPP) said Sierra Vista is not planning to "poach" Benson's water. Strain was on the defensive last week after a document examining the feasibility of transporting water from north of Benson to the Sierra Vista sub-watershed surfaced.
In an April 1 letter to Cochise County District 3 Supervisor Les Thompson, Strain said, "Unfortunately, and to my profound regret, this paper was written in a manner that led the uninformed reader to assume facts and decisions that are only speculative. The paper has not seen the light of day within the partnership, nor has it received any endorsement. Further, the document and accompanying charts were removed from the technical committee meeting and apparently distributed to many rightly concerned citizens in the Benson area."
Strain referred to the letter to Thompson as "damage control."
However, Thompson said the letter is of little comfort, noting his frustrations that he, as a Cochise County supervisor, residents of the San Pedro Valley and Benson City officials were not made aware of such a plan sooner.
"If they would have just kept us informed, I don't think it would have taken care of all the fever, but it would have tempered it," Thompson said. "I think if we sit here and allow such a plan to happen, we will be just giving our tax growth to Sierra Vista. I do believe that this is a real threat. Can we stop this threat? I think we can."
Why are citizens and elected officials in an uproar? According to the "paper" as Strain called it, in order to serve the municipal demand in the Sierra Vista area one solution drafted by the Arizona Bureau of Reclamation is to relocate the Sierra Vista sub-watershed wells to the Benson sub-watershed.
In the estimated $25 million to $32 million project, a 41-mile pipeline would be installed between the two watersheds.
"The project will use five existing wells on each of the purchased properties," according to the document. "The wells will feed into a manifold system to a storage tank reservoir located at the well field. A pipeline will then transport the water to a series of booster pumping stations that will convey the water to Sierra Vista. No significant peaking capacity will be required since a 4.5 to seven million-gallon reservoir at the end of the line will be provided.
"The easement for the conveyance pipeline will follow existing public roads in order to mitigate environmental impacts. The 50-foot easement will be adequate for installation. Additional fee title lands may be required for the larger booster station facilities."
Going into further detail into the cost to carry out the plan, the document states that the USPP would have to purchase the Dusty A-7 Farm, Whitehouse Farm and Kartchner Farm, all of which are located north of Benson near Cascabel.
Thompson referred to the thought of taking Benson water to replenish Sierra Vista's supply "a horrible idea."
Sharon Reid of the USPP, and the driving force behind the creation of the Middle San Pedro Partnership (MSPP), said to her knowledge, the Whitehouse Farm has been sold and is currently in escrow to an unidentified buyer, noting that the buyer is not the USPP. Reid further stated that the Kartchner and Dusty A-7 farms are also for sale, noting that the Nature Conservancy owns much of the land in the Cascabel area.
Christine Conte, spokeswoman for The Nature Conservancy in Tucson said to date they have not sold any land for water rights to the City of Sierra Vista.
Strain, also a Sierra Vista City Councilman and that city's mayor pro tem, stated on more than one occasion during the April 6 interview the document was "just one of many ideas" to achieve a zero balance between the pumpage and recharge of water in Sierra Vista and for the Fort Huachuca Army Base by the year 2011.
"The Bureau of Reclamation has been exploring a lot of options," Strain, chairman of the USPP advisory committee said. "Something like this doesn't just happen overnight. The paper is detailed, but that's because it was written as an engineer would write a true proposal. All of the alternatives were written in that matter. Either way, nobody is trying to get ahead at the expense of others. Please be assured that neither the City of Sierra Vista nor the Upper San Pedro Partnership is planning to poach Benson water. Nor is there any federal money to do so."
According to the document, the USPP has a set of three different price plans, which are based on the amount of water that will be imported to Sierra Vista from Benson.
In the first option, the study estimates the cost to be $25,639,009 to import 3,375 acre-feet of water annually. One acre-foot equals 326,000 gallons of water; this option would allow USPP to import 11,002,500 gallons annually.
The estimated cost includes: the purchase of land, installing wells, well power, on farm wells, collector pipes, booster station power, the main pipeline and a storage reservoir.
In the second option, by importing up to 4,271 acre-feet of water per year, or 139,23,460 gallons of water, is estimated to cost $28,493,035.
In the third option, the estimated cost is $32,771,563 to import 5,549 acre-feet of water, or 18,089,740 gallons annually.
The other alternatives Strain said included: transferring water from a Tombstone mine to Sierra Vista, from Bisbee mines to Sierra Vista and to start a curtailment of water use in the city.
Can this plan to reroute water from the San Pedro Valley to Sierra Vista become a reality? While Strain said "it is doubtful, this has not even seen the light of day by the (USPP advisory committee)," Reid said she could see it happening.
Reid, who admittedly supplied the document to Benson City officials, said the plan to "take Benson water," was the cheapest of all the alternatives.
"I did have permission from the (USPP) technical committee to release the document," Reid said. "I am extremely concerned about such a plan, especially being a San Pedro Valley resident. It is one of several possibilities, but they would not have put this kind of time and research into the project if it weren't a pretty good possibility. It is more than (Strain) is making it out to be."
"It wouldn't be fair to the residents here, and I don't think it's fair legally," Reid continued. "Though it is legal because it's in the basin and it's the cheapest way to balance their water budget. I think people need to be aware of this possibility now and not after it becomes a reality."
Equally concerned are the Benson City Council and administration.
City Manager Boyd Kraemer said even though Strain has assured the city the plan has not been set in motion, city officials are "still extremely concerned."
To get better prepared in the case USPP does try to pass the proposal, Kraemer said the City Council has unanimously approved hiring a water attorney to specify Benson's rights and help create a water policy.
When asked if she was aware of the growing water concern in Cochise County, State Sen. Marsha Arzberger (D-Willcox) said, "Yes, I am watching the water situation very closely."
However, when asked about the document that proposing the importation of water from the Benson sub-basin to the Sierra Vista basin, Arzberger said it is her understanding that the Upper San Pedro Basin, which is located near Sierra Vista and the middle San Pedro Basin, which surrounds the San Pedro Valley, were already connected.
Strain explained that the senator's assertion is correct. The basin of the San Pedro River between Sierra Vista and Benson are connected, he said, noting the sub-basins are not.
"You could say there is one water San Pedro watershed, but there are sub-basins," Strain said. "The difference being that a watershed is filled by the rain running off of the mountains (which runs above ground). In the sub-basin the water comes from underground."
Nonetheless, Strain said water problems are all over and it would be in the best interest of Sierra Vista, Benson and the rest of the San Pedro Valley to work together and find a solution.
The USPP is a consortium of 20 federal, state and local agencies working together to meet the water needs of area residents while protecting the San Pedro River.
The MSPP has recently been created. Reid said the partnership, which represents most of the San Pedro Valley, includes several state and local entities, including the City of Benson.
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