Report: Protect River Flows For Human and Environmental Needs

A recent Sonoran Institute report reminds us that the flow of rivers cannot be taken for granted, a premise readily supported by the sight of many dry river beds in Arizona and the West.

Titled Sustainable Water Management: Guidelines for Meeting the Needs of People and Nature in the Arid West, the report argues that flow depends upon wise river management to ensure that sufficient water is available for human uses as well as the needs of flora and fauna. The report, part workbook, part primer and part guide, points the way to protecting river flow in the West

According to the report public dialogue is important when water sustainability planning is afoot. Productive public dialogue, in turn, requires understanding of the issues that in one way or the other affect sustainability. By broadly covering the ground, from the fundamentals to the application of a sustainable water management framework, from hydrology to public policy, the report is providing information to spur public dialogue.

The report begins by first describing the hydrology involved in the relationship of groundwater and surface water to rivers and streams. In brief but focused discussions, the text describes the role of groundwater, its storage in aquifers and recharge, its importance in maintaining riparian vegetation and the effect on surface water as groundwater is increasingly pumped. The report builds the case that groundwater and surface water are interconnected and is critical of the undue attention to surface water evident in many efforts to preserve rivers and streams in the West. A broader view is called for.

In moving from hydrology to public policy, the report notes an inconvenient fact, that “Arizona water laws and policies do not closely align with hydrological realities.” This understandably complicates any management efforts that are undertaken. Yet the situation does not pose such an obstacle to prevent the report from proposing a framework for sustainable water management.

The report states, “The application of this framework will lead to a comprehensive set of strategies that collectively will enable sustainable water management that meets the needs of people and nature.” The framework consists of a number of steps or directives intending to help focus public dialogue that might otherwise get distracted by the technical and legal complication of water management issues.

The report devotes a section to discussing surface water and groundwater management in Arizona. Here it becomes apparent that the laws governing the use of surface water and groundwater labor an artificial distinction that they are separate and distinct. Further complicating the issue is the fact that most surface water users have not yet had their water rights quantified or legally validated. According to the report water management gained some ground in the state with the Groundwater Management Act, although, true to state form, the act does not address pertinent surface water issues. Meanwhile many rural areas of the state are without water management planning. The result is over pumping of groundwater, causing wells to go dry and threatening surface water resources.

The report then provides three case studies of Arizona rivers that, each in its way, face current or potential threats due to groundwater pumping. Also, each river provides a study for evaluating current water management efforts in reference to the aforementioned water management framework. The report focuses on segments of the San Pedro, Santa Cruz and Verde rivers. These are areas where the press of population and groundwater pumping pose a threat to the river.

The report concludes with a set of four recommendations for managing the three river systems. The recommendations are not intended to challenge current water law or policy but are overriding actions that can be taken within the current regulatory framework. The recommendations are said also to be applicable to other Arizona river systems that depend upon groundwater.

Copies of the report are available by contacting Mia Stier, mstier@sonoran.org or 602-393-4310, ext 4. Also the report can be downloaded from the Sonoran Institute web site: http://sonoran.org/ The site also includes an executive summary of stakeholder interviews.