‘The worst I’ve seen’: Volunteers record E. coli contamination in Santa Cruz River
By Daisy Zavala Magaña
Following a heavy spill of raw sewage from Sonora reaching the Santa Cruz River in late June, a group of volunteers who monitor the Santa Cruz River on a monthly basis took on the task of determining how badly the flow had contaminated the river.
Considering monsoon rains had pushed the flow farther north, the group collected samples from different sections along the Interstate 19 corridor – the Nogales Wash, Rio Rico, and the Santa Gertrudis crossing in Tumacacori – to determine the E. coli levels in the river. But looking at the results, RiverWatch volunteer Connie Williams said she questioned whether something was wrong with their testing.
“We knew it was likely to be higher,” Williams said. “But this is the worst I’ve seen, even with flooding.”
By early July, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality confirmed the tests and readings were accurate.
The highest E. coli levels, registered from the sample at the Nogales Wash, recorded 241,960 mpn (most probable number) per 100 ml – about 975 times higher than the 248 mpn recorded at the same spot in May, Williams said. The sampling in Rio Rico yielded E. coli levels of 198,630 mpn following the sewage spill in June, compared to May’s reading of 284 mpn. And the lowest E. coli levels among the group’s sampling was recorded at the Santa Gertrudis crossing with 198,630 mpn – still about 306 times higher than the 648 mpn reported in the group’s May sampling.
In contrast, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends E. coli levels of zero for drinking water, 235 mpn for swimming, and 575 mpn for wading or partial body contact with the water.
Residents give input on good neighbor agreement with South32
By Daisy Zavala Magaña
During two separate meetings last week, Santa Cruz County residents voiced suggestions for what they’d like to see included in the Community Protection and Benefits Agreement between South32 and local governmental entities.
One by one, residents reiterated similar requests: mitigation strategies for health and environmental impacts, remediation assurances, protections for the region’s ecotourism, independent monitoring and data reporting, real-time public access to data, and enforcement provisions.
“This can't be just a promise. It's a binding commitment to make sure all of us benefit and we all leave this place a better place,” said Rio Rico resident Jay Thompson.
The contract, also known as a good neighbor agreement, will establish legally-binding expectations for South32 as the mining giant continues to unravel its project in the Patagonia Mountains. The other signatories – the City of Nogales, Town of Patagonia, and Santa Cruz County – have been engaging in conversations with South32 for nearly a year to determine what elements will be included in the contract.
Officials have not yet disclosed specific information to the public about those closed-door discussions. It remains unclear what protections or benefits may be included in that contract.
Groups push to classify Santa Cruz River as urban national refuge
By Daisy Zavala Magaña
Pilot Bruce Gordon steered a small Cessna plane over a portion of the 200-mile Santa Cruz River on Tuesday morning, offering glimpses of the riparian corridor and miles of its dry, sandy bed.
Considered one of the most endangered rivers in the United States, the Santa Cruz River stretches from Eastern Santa Cruz County and into Sonora, before returning north along the Interstate 19 corridor and ending northwest of Tucson.
Tuesday’s flyover with the environmental nonprofit EcoFlight explored a stretch of the river that could soon become Arizona’s first Urban National Wildlife Refuge.
The effort recently took significant steps forward as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a coalition of 50 groups presented a Landscape Conservation Design proposal for protecting the river and the life it helps sustain.
“The refuge is remedying environmental injustice and opening access to green spaces in communities where that has been limited,” said Luke Cole, director of the Santa Cruz River program of the Sonoran Institute, one of the groups in the coalition.
The refuge proposal would permanently protect hundreds of miles of the Santa Cruz River and adjacent land – stretching from the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales to the northwestern edge of Pima County. It would limit development, while affording existing habitats and wildlife the opportunity to flourish.