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Alternative Use Plan for City of Tucson Land, Avra Valley, Arizona Authors Karpiscak, Martin M.; Foster, Kennith E.; Cluff, C. Brent; DeCook, K. James; Matter, Fred Publisher University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) Download date 05/10/2021 17:01:10 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/314313 #0267 / _ - gl-;; , ' /,,- A',.. ...411~.- ..11.4..........11.111......11.4.11,WIl.11....-...... + 1 4spW.. .f - i Alternative Use Plan 4 for ; City of Tucson Laid Avra Valley, Arizona Prepared by The University of Arizona Office of Arid Lands Studies Water Resources Research Center College of Architecture for the City of Tucson Real Estate Division September1981 ALTERNATIVE USE PLAN FOR CITY OF TUCSON LAND AVRA VALLEY, ARIZONA by Dr. Martin M. Karpiscak Dr. Kennith E. Foster Office of Arid Lands Studies University of Arizona Dr. C. Brent Cluff Dr. K. James DeCook Water Resources Research Center University of Arizona - Professor Fred Matter College of Architecture University of Arizona A Final Report September 1981 City of Tucson Contract No. 0310 -81 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES iv LIST OF FIGURES v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii I.INTRODUCTION 1 U. RECOMMENDATIONS 5 Limit Soil Disturbance 5 Establish Experimental Water -Harvesting Systems 5 City and County Coordinate Land Use Plan 5 Fence and Secure All Points of Entry 6 Record Land Treatment Activities 6 Pre -retirement Revegetation 6 Maintain Existing Dikes and Flood- Control Structures 6 Pursue Use of City Land by Papagos Using CAP Water 7 Pursue Research Activities 7 III.HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 8 Changes in the Sources of City Water 9 Legal Considerations 10 IV. MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND CONSTRAINTS 13 Weed Control 13 Vandalism and Theft 21 Trash Dumping 21 Overgrazing 21 Management Costs 22 V. FRAMEWORK FOR USE 23 No Groundwater Use 23 Minimize Environmental Impacts 24 Management for Public Benefit 24 Minimize Capital Costs 24 Development 25 Prohibited Uses 25 VI. MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES 27 Maintenance 27 Disking 27 Mowing 27 Pulvi- Muicher 27 Land Imprinter 28 Burning 28 Moth Release Program 28 Revegetation 29 i Experimental Management for Economic Return 30 Alternative Crops 30 Guayule 34 Jojoba 36 Buffalo Gourd 38 Russian Thistle 39 Other Plant Candidates 41 Adobe Production 41 Land -Water Tradeoffs 41 Avra Valley Irrigation District 41 Agricultural Use of City Land by Papago Indians 42 Water Harvesting 45 Water Catchment Methods 45 Compacted Earth 46 Salt- Treated Compacted Earth 46 Gravel- Covered Plastic 47 Wax Treated 47 Fiberglass Asphalt Chipcoated (PAC) 47 Asphalt- Rubber Chipcoated (ARC) 48 Polypropylene- Reinforced Mortar -Covered Plastic 49 Water Storage Methods 49 Water -Harvesting Agrisystems 50 Rainfed Urban Development 52 Rainfed Industrial Development 53 Summary 55 Other Proposed Uses 55 Travel Trailer Park 56 Wild Animal Parks 56 Off -road Vehicles 57 Sailport 57 Movie Location 58 VII.RECENT AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS 59 Current Land Status 59 Land Ownership 59 Land Use 59 Well Fields 59 Suitability for Urban Development 59 Flood Hazards 64 Electric Transmission Line 64 Social -Environmental Factors 68 Population Growth 68 Subsidence 69 Dust Storms 69 APPENDICES A. NAMES AND AFFILIATIONS OF AVRA VALLEY WORKSHOP ATTENDEES 72 B. CLIMATE OF AVRA VALLEY 75 il C. VEGETATION OF AVRA VALLEY 78 D. ESTIMATES OF RUSSIAN THISTLE PRODUCTION COSTS 81 E. ESTIMATED COSTS TO PROCESS RUSSIAN THISTLE INTO LOGS AND PELLETS 86 REFERENCES 95 111 LIST OF TABLES 1. City of Tucson Avra Valley Land Holdings 3 2.Manpower, Machinery and Equipment Used to Maintain City of Tucson Land in Avra Valley 22 3. Prohibited Uses of City of Tucson Avra Valley Land 26 4. Location of Introduction of Coleophora parthenica in Avra Valley 29 5. Water Withdrawn for Selected Crops in Pima County, Arizona 31 6. Acreage and Water Withdrawal in Avra Valley, Arizona, by Crop, 1978 32 7. Water Use in Avra Valley During 1978 33 8.Summary Table of Potential Arid -Adapted Agricultural Plants 35 9. Summary of Russian Thistle Production Costs 40 10.1981 Cost Estimates of Different Water -Harvesting Methods 46 11.Projected Population of Eastern Pima County 68 iv LIST OF FIGURES 1.Map of City Owned land in Avra Valley 2 2. Aerial photograph of Russian thistle growing on fallow City of Tucson fields in Avra Valley. 14 3. Ground -level photograph showing large Russian thistle plants and dense aggregations of emerging young seedlings in foreground. 15 4. A cotton field on the Gin Farm shortly after retirement. 16 5. The Gin Farm two years after retirement. 17 6.London rocket (Sisymbruim irio) and Mediterranean grass (Schismus spp.) are the most abundant plants in this former Gin Farm cotton field, 3 years after retirement 18 7. Mediterranean grass has succeeded London rocket in this Gin Farm field, 4 years after retirement 19 8. Spurges (Euphorbia spp.) scattered Russian thistle and other species cover the Gin Farm, cotton field, 5 years after retirement. 20 9. Map Showing Avra Valley Irrigation District 43 10.Map Showing Proposed Alignment of Central Arizona Project Aqueduct through Avra Valley. 44 11.Shape of Proposed Catchment Systems. 51 12.Water Harvesting Agrisystems Module for Retired Farmland Management. 54 13.Map Showing Land Ownership in Avra Valley 60 14.Map Showing Privately Owned and City Land in Avra Valley Outside the Cortaro -Marana Irrigation District 61 15.Map Showing Land Use in Avra Valley 62 16.Map Showing Location of City of Tucson Well Field and Pipelines in Avra Valley 63 17.Map Showing Areas Unsuitable for Urban Development in Avra Valley 65 18.Map Showing Flood Hazards for Avra Valley 66 v 19.Map Showing Proposed Alignment for 345 kV Transmission line through Avra Valley 67 20.Map Showing Location of Earth Fissures in Avra Valley 70 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors express their appreciation to Mr. George Parker, Tucson Real Estate Division; Mr. Gene Cronk and Mr. Frank Brooks, Tucson Water Department; Mr. T.J.Harrison,City Attorney'sOffice,and Mr. Mike McNulty, Arizona Department of Water Resources for their guidance in the preparation of this report. We also thank the many other individuals who have assisted in the preparation of the report. vii INTRODUCTION Groundwater is the principal supply of agricultural, industrial and municipal water in Arizona.As a result of increasing demands, water table levels are declining rapidly.Importation of water through the Central Arizona Project and reuse of treated municipal waste water will reduce, but not eliminate, the need to allocate more water for urban use and less for agricultural use as the State continues to grow. This reallocation in the Phoenix area is occurring progressively without undue conflict.Adjacent farmland is developed as the urban area expands, and water formerly applied to crops is used for domestic purposes. The City of Tucson, which at present is entirely dependent upon groundwater purchased 13,000 acres of outlying irrigated lands in Avra Valley to secure water rights, then retired them from agricultural use (Figure 1, Table 1).This retired farmland now presents several surface management challenges that need to be addressed. Most proposals that address farmland retirement have treated the question of "what to do with the retired farmland" superficially(Jacobs,1968;Staff Report,1974).There are constraints inherent in reclamation of disturbed lands in semiarid regions that have fragile desert ecosystems.The land reverts to an aesthetically pleasing natural desert growth only after considerable passage of time (Karpiscak, 1980). Grasses could be established in Avra Valley, an area that has relatively low annual rainfall (10 inches) and relatively large evapotranspiration rates (Jordan and Maynard,1970),but supplemental irrigation would be required. Even after establishment, some supplemental irrigation would be needed to assure a permanent stand of grass. The environmental consequences associated with retiring farmland are not well known to the general public, therefore little public opposition has been voiced. Farms that have been purchased by the City are in relatively secluded areas. More public interest is anticipated as additional farmland closer to urban areas is retired; thus innovative land reclamation and management procedures must be developed. 1 R. 12 E. R. 0 E. PINA R. 10 E.R. 11 E. COUNTY R. 11 E.1 EXPLANATION , 2 - -1: t .2 9 11 9 .0 ' .2 - Southern Pacific Railroad 1.51 1.5 '14 'fr. Natural Gas Line r,,,,, Ls ,e .c. .0 '....ert'k..t.d. ' _...........-- 1 --,k, -T- Transmission Line ..,... ....RIC 0. MAIRANA I RO 2' 23 2 4 N. 9 ,.../19 201 21 23 / ....,,.. IGRIER LRO I -. KtfM ,,, / -r- - Underground Telephone A- '..----'' -.,. I Marana F '- r,N Cable ,I .50 zs 21 28 30 , .....r. 25 . 1 - Unpaved Road '1 '° 'f {V).4 1" T:.,__ _ i_ - -... .4---26"N' -'...-5-\ - I 4 4. 1. ,. 33 " 1----...''I2 4:"4.....3-1.4 35 t 31;4, 3I ---- Paved Road S. 1 ' 4 -.' * 4 ',..., t 6 ''.....,,,,Zz5 ell State Highway I .1',. ..; ,,, .6. 2 6 '5 4 I 3 WV 2 \ 2 ' . 44 % 0, 4 s. I .8 N .' 1 Interstate Highway idr N.. 4.12 IA tiV A 1. 1. E Y 7- 7 1 ov .0 .1 I ' s: 9 , '0 11 / r 9 1 .4 .../ -^ -- County Line J--1--, --It",.. ,..-- --- \ e.--r-----, ,. I 3 F1dr? 0 Airstrip(limited facilities) 1 / I 4 20 21 1 22 23 , A4 ,... 469 4 / 2 'al 22 IF ,23-* Airfield(limited facilities) "'.1- 2.0 - / ?-1 c.... Las_ __________A v..1.._--__ _ __I_ / .fs ' .., 29 Z. i Zi 261 25 310 Land Owned by City of Tucson 26 25 I T. T. ft :I - TWIN PEAKS 12 FARM PROPERTY NAME 1 a V, 7. 35 36 32 33 s. S. c S. A Hill Farm T. B Growers Finance Farm ......tczsmf .