Historical Land Occupance of Tue Upper San Pedro River Valley Since 1870

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Historical Land Occupance of Tue Upper San Pedro River Valley Since 1870 Historical land occupance of the upper San Pedro River Valley since 1870 Item Type Thesis-Reproduction (electronic); text Authors Rodgers, William Maxwell,1907- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 27/09/2021 05:22:56 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/191458 HISTORICAL LAND OCCUPANCE OF TUE UPPER SAN PEDRO RIVER VALLEY SINCE 1870 by William M. Rodgers A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND AREA DEVELOPMENT In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1965 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfill- ment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowl- edgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the inter- ests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIED: /2 APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: 1! DAN STANISLAWSKI Professor of Geography PREFACE This thesis is designed to meet requirements of the Geography Department that the subject be concernedwith geography in an arid area and that it include original research in the field. The first requirement was only a problem of choice from the many areas available nearby. The second was met by extensive personal observation and analysis on the ground combined with research of pertinent records of the U. S. Bureau of Land Management in Phoenix and those of Cochise County in Bisbee, Arizona. I wish to express my appreciation for the assist- ance and cooperation of Mr. Fred Weiler Director and Mr. Roy T. Helmandollar and Mr. C.C.. Bazan of the U. S. Bureau of Land Management and that of Mr. F. C. Alexander, Cochise County Treasurer, and Mr. Sam R. Clark, Cochise County Assessor. Their help was essential to the research and interpretation of land occupancy records of the area under study. The assistance and interest of Mrs. Nova Alderson, librarian at the Arizona Pioneer's Historical Society is also deeply appreciated. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS V LIST OF TABLES vii ABSTRACT viii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1 3EOGRAPHIC ENVIRON14ENT 6 Geomorphology 6 Soils 13 Drain.age 15 Climate 18 Vegetation 22 OCCUPATION BEFORE1870 32 OCCUPATION OF THE UPPER SAN PEDRO RIVER VALLEY 1870-1900 39 Occupation and Use of the Land1870-1900 . 39 Landscape1900 76 OCCUPATION OF THE UPPER SAN PEDRO RIVER VALLEY1900-196k ..............95 Occupation and Use of the Land1900-1930 .. 95 Occupation and Use of the Land1930-196k . 120 Landscape196k 138 CONCLUSIONS 1k5 Historical Occupation of the Upper San Pedro River Valley Since1870 14i5 Occupance and Landscape Change in the Upper San Pedro River Valley lk8 Landscape Change in the Upper San Pedro River Valley and Current Hypotheses as to Landscape Change in Southeast Arizona 150 LIST OF REFERENCES 155 iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS F ± gur e Page Topographic Map of Upper San Pedro River Valley 8 Upper San Pedro River Valley Profile . 9 Land Forms of the Upper San Pedro River Valley ii ti. Tree Ring Indices of Precipitation in Arizona 19 Precipitation in Upper San Pedro River Valley 22 Vegetation of the Upper San Pedro River Valley1870 31 Land of Upper San Pedro River Valley not Available for Homestead Settlement . 35 Land Claims Filed in the Upper San Pedro River Valley1870-1881 50 Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1882 56 Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1885 59 Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1890 63 Cattle Population of the Upper San Pedro River Valley1882-1900 68 Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1900 70 14, Privately Owned Land in Upper San Pedro River Valley by Size of Holdings1882-1900. 73 15. Types of Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1882-1900. .......... 75 v vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS__Continued Page Vegetation of the Upper San Pedro River Valley1900 79 Upper San Pedro River Valley; U. S. Government Land Reservations, Spanish Grants, Place Names and Road Net,1900- 1964 97 Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1910 99 Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1920 1o6 Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1930 111 Types of Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1900-1930 113 Privately Owned Land in Upper San Pedro River Valley by Size of Holdings1900-1930. 116 Cattle Population of the Upper San Pedro River Valley1900-1930 117 Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley 1940 121 Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1950 124 L:and Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1964 129 Types of Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley1930-1964 133 Privately Owned Land in Upper San Pedro River Valley by Size of Holdings1930-1964. 134 Cattle Population of the Upper San Pedro River Valley1930-1964 137 Vegetation of the Upper San Pedro River Valley1964 142 LIST OF TABLES Table Page Climate Data Upper San Pedro River Valley from Four Representative Weather Stations . 20 Categories of Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley by Number, Acreage, Percentage of Total Holdings, and Average Size, 1870-1900 72 Categories of Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley by Number, Acreage, Percentage of Total Holdings, and Average Size,1900-1930 ilk Categories of Land Holdings in Upper San Pedro River Valley by Number, Acreage, Percentage of Total Holdings, and Average Size,1930-196k 132 vii ABSTRACT This study traces the sequence of occupation of the land of the Upper San Pedro River Valley from its beginnings with the discovery and exploitation of its mineral resources through the exploitation of the free open range to eventual necessity to own or lease all grazing lands used. It concludes with a description of the develop- ment of small tract suburban residential occupation of significant magnitude since establishment of a payroll source at Fort Huachuca in 1954 and later the growth of popularity for suburban retirement living in Arizona. Concurrent with consideration of the sequence of occupation in the area, the consequences of denudation of the mountain woodlands for fuel prior to 1900 and the disturbance of vegetation and soil of the grasslands due to continuous uncontrolled overgrazing until 1930is described and discussed. The study concludes that the changes to the land- scape of the area since1870were directly due to the occupation and use of the land. Denudation of the mountain woodlands and severe disturbance of the grasslands caused significant change to the drainage and moisture content of the soil leading to an invasion of desert shrub into what was once a grass dominated landscape. viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCON During the period since1870there has been a sig- nificant change in the geographic landscape of southeastern Arizona and adjacent areas. There has without doubt been a disturbance of the delicate balance of nature in this area. While there is a continuous evolution produced by the interaction of exogenetic and indogenetic forces in nature that results in change in the landscape, when man appears on the scene another force for change is added. That landscape change in southern Arizona has not gone unnoticed is apparent from the considerable litera- ture that has been produced on the subject sincei880. Much has been written concerning climate, erosional cycles, overgrazing, plant invasions and vegetation change by authorities such as Kirk Bryan, Edmund Schulman, R. R. Humphrey, L. B. Leopold, B. L. Branscomb, L. A. Mehrhoff, A. L. Brown, Forest Shreve and most recently and most comprehensively by James R. Hastings. However none of the foregoing have considered the total impact of changing patterns of human activity as an element in the changing landscape of the region. 1 2 It therefore appears desirable to consider the patterns of human activity prior to and during the period of landscape change in the affected region. The upper San Pedro River Valley was chosen as a representative segment of the region which had undergone, at one time or another during the period, all of the experiences of the whole region. That this area also experienced the landscape changes common to the region is evident from the following: Where the San Pedro River of southeastern Arizona formerly wound its sluggish course north- ward through a marshy, largely unchanneled valley, in August,1890,it began carving a steep-walled trench through which it thereafter emptied rapidly and torrentially into the Gila. Where it formerly ran more or less consistently throughout the year, after1890its flow became intermittent, leaving the new channel dry over much of its length for most of the time (Hastings, 1959, pp. 60-67). As late as1877the upper San Pedro River Valley was being described as "miles and miles of good farming and grazing lands along the San Pedro River. The valley in which one travels resembles an old and cultivated tracttt (Hinton, 1954,pp. 234-236). Today the area could hardly be described in such terms with its vegetation cover dominated by mesquite, creosote bush and other desert shrub.
Recommended publications
  • USGS Open-File Report 2009-1269, Appendix 1
    Appendix 1. Summary of location, basin, and hydrological-regime characteristics for U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations in Arizona and parts of adjacent states that were used to calibrate hydrological-regime models [Hydrologic provinces: 1, Plateau Uplands; 2, Central Highlands; 3, Basin and Range Lowlands; e, value not present in database and was estimated for the purpose of model development] Average percent of Latitude, Longitude, Site Complete Number of Percent of year with Hydrologic decimal decimal Hydrologic altitude, Drainage area, years of perennial years no flow, Identifier Name unit code degrees degrees province feet square miles record years perennial 1950-2005 09379050 LUKACHUKAI CREEK NEAR 14080204 36.47750 109.35010 1 5,750 160e 5 1 20% 2% LUKACHUKAI, AZ 09379180 LAGUNA CREEK AT DENNEHOTSO, 14080204 36.85389 109.84595 1 4,985 414.0 9 0 0% 39% AZ 09379200 CHINLE CREEK NEAR MEXICAN 14080204 36.94389 109.71067 1 4,720 3,650.0 41 0 0% 15% WATER, AZ 09382000 PARIA RIVER AT LEES FERRY, AZ 14070007 36.87221 111.59461 1 3,124 1,410.0 56 56 100% 0% 09383200 LEE VALLEY CR AB LEE VALLEY RES 15020001 33.94172 109.50204 1 9,440e 1.3 6 6 100% 0% NR GREER, AZ. 09383220 LEE VALLEY CREEK TRIBUTARY 15020001 33.93894 109.50204 1 9,440e 0.5 6 0 0% 49% NEAR GREER, ARIZ. 09383250 LEE VALLEY CR BL LEE VALLEY RES 15020001 33.94172 109.49787 1 9,400e 1.9 6 6 100% 0% NR GREER, AZ. 09383400 LITTLE COLORADO RIVER AT GREER, 15020001 34.01671 109.45731 1 8,283 29.1 22 22 100% 0% ARIZ.
    [Show full text]
  • Roundtail Chub Repatriated to the Blue River
    Volume 1 | Issue 2 | Summer 2015 Roundtail Chub Repatriated to the Blue River Inside this issue: With a fish exclusion barrier in place and a marked decline of catfish, the time was #TRENDINGNOW ................. 2 right for stocking Roundtail Chub into a remote eastern Arizona stream. New Initiative Launched for Southwest Native Trout.......... 2 On April 30, 2015, the Reclamation, and Marsh and Blue River. A total of 222 AZ 6-Species Conservation Department stocked 876 Associates LLC embarked on a Roundtail Chub were Agreement Renewal .............. 2 juvenile Roundtail Chub from mission to find, collect and stocked into the Blue River. IN THE FIELD ........................ 3 ARCC into the Blue River near bring into captivity some During annual monitoring, Recent and Upcoming AZGFD- the Juan Miller Crossing. Roundtail Chub for captive led Activities ........................... 3 five months later, Additional augmentation propagation from the nearest- Department staff captured Spikedace Stocked into Spring stockings to enhance the genetic neighbor population in Eagle Creek ..................................... 3 42 of the stocked chub, representation of the Blue River Creek. The Aquatic Research some of which had travelled BACK AT THE PONDS .......... 4 Roundtail Chub will be and Conservation Center as far as seven miles Native Fish Identification performed later this year. (ARCC) held and raised the upstream from the stocking Workshop at ARCC................ 4 offspring of those chub for Stockings will continue for the location. future stocking into the Blue next several years until that River. population is established in the Department biologists conducted annual Blue River and genetically In 2012, the partners delivered monitoring in subsequent mimics the wild source captive-raised juvenile years, capturing three chub population.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Flows and Water Demands in Arizona
    Environmental Flows and Water A University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center Project Demands in Arizona ater is an increasingly scarce resource and is essential for Arizona’s future. Figure 1. Elements of Environmental Flow WWith Arizona’s population growth and Occurring in Seasonal Hydrographs continued drought, citizens and water managers have been taking a closer look at water supplies in the state. Municipal, industrial, and agricul- tural water users are well-represented demand sectors, but water supplies and management to benefit the environment are not often consid- ered. This bulletin explains environmental water demands in Arizona and introduces information essential for considering environmental water demands in water management discussions. Considering water for the environment is impor- tant because humans have an interconnected and interdependent relationship with the envi- ronment. Nature provides us recreation oppor- tunities, economic benefits, and water supplies Data Source: to sustain our communities. USGS stream gage data Figure 2: Human Demand and Current Flow in Arizona Environmental water demands (or environmental flow) (circle size indicates relative amount of water) refers to how much water is needed in a watercourse to sustain a healthy ecosystem. Defining environmental water demand goes beyond the ecology and hydrol- Maximum ogy of a system and should include consideration for Flows how much water is required to achieve an agreed Industrial 40.8 maf Industrial SW Municipal upon level of river health, as determined by the GW 1% GW 8% water-using community. Arizona’s native ani- 4% mals and plants depend upon dynamic flows commonly described according to the natural Municipal SW flow regime.
    [Show full text]
  • Cienegas Vanishing Climax Communities of the American
    Hendrickson and Minckley Cienegas of the American Southwest 131 Abstract Cienegas The term cienega is here applied to mid-elevation (1,000-2,000 m) wetlands characterized by permanently saturated, highly organic, reducing soils. A depauperate Vanishing Climax flora dominated by low sedges highly adapted to such soils characterizes these habitats. Progression to cienega is Communities of the dependent on a complex association of factors most likely found in headwater areas. Once achieved, the community American Southwest appears stable and persistent since paleoecological data indicate long periods of cienega conditions, with infre- quent cycles of incision. We hypothesize the cienega to be an aquatic climax community. Cienegas and other marsh- land habitats have decreased greatly in Arizona in the Dean A. Hendrickson past century. Cultural impacts have been diverse and not Department of Zoology, well documented. While factors such as grazing and Arizona State University streambed modifications contributed to their destruction, the role of climate must also be considered. Cienega con- and ditions could be restored at historic sites by provision of ' constant water supply and amelioration of catastrophic W. L. Minckley flooding events. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Dexter Fish Hatchery Introduction and Department of Zoology Written accounts and photographs of early explorers Arizona State University and settlers (e.g., Hastings and Turner, 1965) indicate that most pre-1890 aquatic habitats in southeastern Arizona were different from what they are today. Sandy, barren streambeds (Interior Strands of Minckley and Brown, 1982) now lie entrenched between vertical walls many meters below dry valley surfaces. These same streams prior to 1880 coursed unincised across alluvial fills in shallow, braided channels, often through lush marshes.
    [Show full text]
  • Water, Summer 2008
    Restoring Connections Vol. 11 Issue 2 Summer 2008 Newsletter of the Sky Island Alliance In this issue: A River Runs Beneath It by Randy Serraglio 4 Time and the Aquifer: Models and Long-term Thinking Water… by Julia Fonseca 5 Street and Public Rights-of-Way: Community Corridors of Heat & Dehydration OR Green Belts of Coolness & Rehydration by Brad Lancaster 6 A New Path for Water Use by Melissa Lamberton 7 The Power of Water by Janice Przybyl 8 Our special pull-out section on Ciénegas Monitoring Water with Remote Cameras by Sergio Avila 9 Waste Water / Holy Water by Ken Lamberton 10 Coyote Wells by Julia Fonseca 12 Finding Water in the Desert by Gary Williams 12 H2Oly Stories by Doug Bland 13 Restaurant Review: The Adobe Café & Bakery by Mary Rakestraw 14 Volunteers Make It Happen Rio Saracachi at Rancho Agua Fria in Sonora. by Sarah Williams 16 From the Director’s Desk: Swimming Holes and Groundwater by Matt Skroch, Executive Director Rivers and springs have been used to our several decades, or centuries, the water table will agricultural advantage for 12,000 years here, once again seep upwards to ground level, and though unsustainable groundwater mining is a those low points on the landscape we call rivers relatively new phenomena. We’ve discovered will flow once again. other temporary ways around the problem of increasing water scarcity — billions of dollars Either choice will eventually lead nature back to spent to pump water uphill for 330 miles being better days. The difference being that one choice Few experiences compare to the exhilaration of one spectacular example.
    [Show full text]
  • San Pedro River Study Area Wild and Scenic River Eligibility Report
    Prepared by the USDI Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, Tucson Field Office May 2016 The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. Cover photo – San Pedro River near Charleston courtesy of BLM/Bob Wick 2 San Pedro River Wild and Scenic River Study Area Eligibility Report This document consolidates resource information about the San Pedro River and one of its key tributaries, the Babocomari River. The purpose of this document is to provide a basis for reassessing the eligibility and suitability for inclusion of the San Pedro River and related free- flowing conditions and outstandingly remarkable river values into the National Wild and Scenic River System. I. BACKGROUND: The San Pedro River Wild and Scenic River Study Area Eligibility Report describes the information considered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the eligibility, and tentative re-classification of the San Pedro River for suitability analysis in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) Resource Management Plan (RMP). The SPRNCA was established by Public Law (P.L.) 100-696 on Nov. 18, 1988 to preserve, protect, and enhance the aquatic, wildlife, archaeological, paleontological, scientific, cultural, educational, and recreational resources in the conservation area.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix a Assessment Units
    APPENDIX A ASSESSMENT UNITS SURFACE WATER REACH DESCRIPTION REACH/LAKE NUM WATERSHED Agua Fria River 341853.9 / 1120358.6 - 341804.8 / 15070102-023 Middle Gila 1120319.2 Agua Fria River State Route 169 - Yarber Wash 15070102-031B Middle Gila Alamo 15030204-0040A Bill Williams Alum Gulch Headwaters - 312820/1104351 15050301-561A Santa Cruz Alum Gulch 312820 / 1104351 - 312917 / 1104425 15050301-561B Santa Cruz Alum Gulch 312917 / 1104425 - Sonoita Creek 15050301-561C Santa Cruz Alvord Park Lake 15060106B-0050 Middle Gila American Gulch Headwaters - No. Gila Co. WWTP 15060203-448A Verde River American Gulch No. Gila County WWTP - East Verde River 15060203-448B Verde River Apache Lake 15060106A-0070 Salt River Aravaipa Creek Aravaipa Cyn Wilderness - San Pedro River 15050203-004C San Pedro Aravaipa Creek Stowe Gulch - end Aravaipa C 15050203-004B San Pedro Arivaca Cienega 15050304-0001 Santa Cruz Arivaca Creek Headwaters - Puertocito/Alta Wash 15050304-008 Santa Cruz Arivaca Lake 15050304-0080 Santa Cruz Arnett Creek Headwaters - Queen Creek 15050100-1818 Middle Gila Arrastra Creek Headwaters - Turkey Creek 15070102-848 Middle Gila Ashurst Lake 15020015-0090 Little Colorado Aspen Creek Headwaters - Granite Creek 15060202-769 Verde River Babbit Spring Wash Headwaters - Upper Lake Mary 15020015-210 Little Colorado Babocomari River Banning Creek - San Pedro River 15050202-004 San Pedro Bannon Creek Headwaters - Granite Creek 15060202-774 Verde River Barbershop Canyon Creek Headwaters - East Clear Creek 15020008-537 Little Colorado Bartlett Lake 15060203-0110 Verde River Bear Canyon Lake 15020008-0130 Little Colorado Bear Creek Headwaters - Turkey Creek 15070102-046 Middle Gila Bear Wallow Creek N. and S. Forks Bear Wallow - Indian Res.
    [Show full text]
  • Flood Insurance Study Vol. 1
    SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, ARIZONA AND INCORPORATED AREAS VOLUME 1 OF 3 Community Community Name Number SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, (UNINCORPORATED AREAS) 040090 NOGALES, CITY OF 040091 PATAGONIA, TOWN OF 040092 Santa Cruz County EFFECTIVE: DECEMBER 2, 2011 Federal Emergency Management Agency FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY NUMBER 04023CV001A NOTICE TO FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY USERS Communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program have established repositories of flood hazard data for floodplain management and flood insurance purposes. This Flood Insurance Study (FIS) may not contain all data available within the repository. Please contact the Community Map Repository for any additional data. Part or all of this FIS may be revised and republished at any time. In addition, part of this FIS report may be revised by the Letter of Map Revision process, which does not involve republication or redistribution of the FIS report. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the user to consult with community officials and to check the community repository to obtain the most current FIS report components. Selected Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) panels for this community contain information that was previously shown separately on the corresponding Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FBFM) panels (e.g., floodways, cross sections). In addition, former flood hazard zone designations have been changed as follows: Old Zone(s) New Zone A1 through A30 AE B X C X Initial Countywide FIS Report Effective Date: December 2, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS – VOLUME 1 Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION
    [Show full text]
  • Santa Cruz County Before the Arizona Navigable
    SANTA CRUZ COUNTY ... BEFORE THE ARIZONA NAVIGABLE STREAM ADJUDICATION COMMISSION IN THE MA ITER OF THE NAVIGABILITY OF SMALL AND MINOR WATERCOURSES IN SANTA No.: 03-001-NA V CRUZ COUNTY, ARIZONA, EXCLUDING THE SANTA CRUZ RIVER REPORT, FINDINGS AND DETERMINATION REGARDING THE NAVIGABILITY OF SMALL AND MINOR WATERCOURSES IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, ARIZONA Spanish travelers or settlers in Santa Cruz County until 1691 when a Jesuit missionary, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino carne to the valley to establish missions and convert indigenous populations to Christianity. The impact Father Kino had on Santa Cruz County, either directly or indirectly, cannot be underestimated. The first large settlement of the area was the Jesuit mission of Santa Maria Soarnca, later known as Santa Cruz. which was located south of the border in Mexico. Father Kino used the Santa Cruz valley extensively as a travel route into the northern portion of Pirneria Alta. His missionary efforts in the twenty years between 1691 and his death in 1711 led to the establishment of three missions along the Santa Cruz River, including Tumacacori just north of Nogales. Other smaller mission posts and visitas were established at Tubac and north of Santa Cruz County at San Xavier del Bac and San Augustine de Tucson. The greatest impact Kino and subsequent missionaries had in Santa Cruz County, and especially the Santa Cruz valley, was the introduction of new technologies in crops and domestic animals. This led to an expansion of farming by the Pima Indians and Spanish settlers. The missions' crops relied on irrigation primarily from the Santa Cruz River, although Sonoita Creek was also used where surface waters flowed through canals, some of which may have been originally dug by the Hohokarn.
    [Show full text]
  • Mapping of Holocene River Alluvium Along the San Pedro River, Aravaipa Creek, and Babocomari River, Southeastern Arizona
    Mapping of Holocene River Alluvium along the San Pedro River, Aravaipa Creek, and Babocomari River, Southeastern Arizona by Joseph P. Cook, Ann Youberg, Philip A. Pearthree, Jill A. Onken, Bryan J. MacFarlane, David E. Haddad, Erica R. Bigio, Andrew L. Kowler A Report to the Adjudication and Technical Support Section Statewide Planning Division Arizona Department of Water Resources Report accompanies Arizona Geological Survey Digital Map DM-RM-1 Map Scale 1:24,000 (6 sheets), 76 p. Originally issued, July 2009 Version 1.1 released, October 2009 Arizona Geological Survey 416 W Congress St., #100, Tucson, AZ 85701 Table of Contents Introduction 3 • Geologic Mapping Methods 3 • Mapping Criteria 3 • Ages of Deposits 5 Mapping the extent of Holocene alluvium 7 • Field data collection and access 8 • Surficial geologic contacts 8 • Soil Survey mapping 8 • Extent of Holocene River Floodplain Alluvium 16 • Geologic Map versions 17 Soil parameters and age estimates for soils in the southern San Pedro Valley 18 San Pedro River Geology and Geomorphology 22 • Geologic History 22 • Historical Change 23 • Geomorphology 24 • Modern channel conditions 24 Babocomari River Geology and Geomorphology 26 • Geologic History 26 • Historical Change 27 • Geomorphology 27 • Modern channel conditions 28 Aravaipa Creek Geology and Geomorphology 30 • Geologic History 30 1 • Historical Change 30 • Geomorphology 32 • Modern channel conditions 33 Geoarchaeological Evaluation 34 • Methods 34 • Results 35 List of map units 42 • Surficial units 42 • Other units 42 • Holocene river alluvium 42 • Pleistocene river alluvium 44 • Piedmont alluvium and surficial deposits 45 • Tertiary basin fill alluvium 51 • Bedrock units 54 References 71 2 Introduction The purpose of these investigations is to document and map the extent of Holocene channel and floodplain alluvium associated with the San Pedro River and its major tributaries in southeastern Arizona.
    [Show full text]
  • (WTP2) Discharge Hydrologic Evaluation of Proposed Hermosa
    Cienega Cr Watershed Hydrologic Evaluation of Proposed Hermosa Mine Water Treatment Plant (WTP2) Discharge Presentation to PARA November 12, 2020 Sonoita Cr Watershed Laurel Lacher, PhD, RG, Lacher Hydrologic Consulting, Tucson, AZ Bob Prucha, PhD, PE, Integrated Hydro Systems, LLC, Boulder, CO Study Commissioned by PARA • Purpose of Study: − To evaluate potential hydrologic impacts of South32’s proposed discharge of treated water from the Hermosa Project to Harshaw Creek as described in August 2020 AZPDES and APP applications. South32’s Proposed Action • South32 (parent company to Arizona Minerals, Inc.) proposes dewatering of Hermosa Project area ~ 5 miles south of the Town of Patagonia to facilitate underground mining. 1) Taylor Deposit (zinc, lead, silver) 2) Clark Deposit (zinc, manganese, silver) Initial dewatering rate up to 4500 gpm Treated water discharged to Harshaw Cr. Hermosa Project Modified from Clear Creek Assoc., Aug 2020, APP Significant Amend. Applic P-512235, fig. 1. Motivating Factors for PARA Existing Flood Potential on Harshaw Creek and in Town of Patagonia South32’s conclusion of no surface water impact in Sonoita Cr. History of Flooding in Patagonia 2017 Watershed Management Plan Perennial flows along Sonoita and lower parts of tributaries shown Streamflow at Patagonia-Sonoita Cr. Preserve (m3/s) Recent Harshaw Elevated Baseflows – amplify flood potential Creek Flooding Data courtesy of The Nature Conservancy Sonoita Cr Watershed Precipitation (mm) Sonoita Cr Watershed Precipitation (mm) 8/7/16-8/12/16 7/15/17-7/24/17 Harshaw Creek Flows Harshaw Creek Flows July 22, 2017 August 9, 2016 Key Points • Monsoonal storms leading to Discharge on Harshaw Cr relatively typical annual monsoon storm events • Preceding storms increase surface saturation and runoff South32 Findings (presented July 21-22, 2020) Literature Review Documents Reviewed Proposed New Discharge from WTP2 to Harshaw Creek Study Objectives 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Fishes and Aquatic Habitats of the Upper San Pedro River System, Arizona and Sonora
    FISHES AND AQUATIC HABITATS OF THE UPPER SAN PEDRO RIVER SYSTEM, ARIZONA AND SONORA by W. L. Minckley, Ph.D. Professor of Zoology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 Final Report for Purchase Order YA-558-CT7-001 U. S. Bureau of Land Management, Denver Federal Center, Building 50, P.O. Box 25047, Denver, Colorado 80225 March 1987 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...... 1 Objectives 1 ...................................... DESCRI ON OF THE STUDY AREA 3 ...................................... HISTORIC AQUATIC CONDITIONS 6 .......................................... Man in the Upper San Pedro Valle:- 7 Aquatic Habitats of th,-, Past 10 ......................................... Permanence 13 ..................................... FISHES OF THE SAN PEDRO BASIN 14 ......................................... History of Study 14 Patterns of Ichthyofaunal Chanqe 16 Past Habitats and Fish Communities 19 Habitat Size ..... 20 Measures of Stability 22 Heterogeneity ..... 22 Species' Ecologies Relevant to Available Habitats ..... 23 Category I ..... 23 Category II ..... 27 Category III ..... 29 Category IV ..... 33 FACTORS AFFECTING LIFE HISTORIES OF NATIVE FISHES ... 37 ACTUAL AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF UPSTREAM M -:1.3 OPERATIONS 41 ENHANCEMENT OF SAN PEDRO RIVER FISH HABITATS ... 46 Semi-natural Habitats 47 Rehabilitation of the Natural Channel ...51 REINTRODUCTIONS AND MANAGEMENT OF NATIVE FISHES ...53 Philosophies,, 'roblems, and Realism= 53 Recommendations for Reintroduction and Management ...57 BIBLIOGRAPHY 62 INTRODUCTION Acquisition of much of the upper San Pedro River in the United States by the Bureau of Land Management (USBLM; Rosenkrance 1986) and its proposed designation as a "San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area" (hereafter Conservation Area; USBLM 1986) presents a possibility for protection and management of a Southwestern stream and its plant and animal resources. Part of those resources are fishes, which due to their absolute dependence on surface water are sorely endangered.
    [Show full text]