From: | Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org> |
Date: | Wed, 23 Jul 1997 13:20:41 -0700 (PDT) |
Reply: | cpeo-military |
Subject: | SAN PEDRO RIVER RUNS DRY |
SAN PEDRO RIVER and FORT HUACHUCA, ARIZONA The Phoenix-based Southwest Center for Biological Diversity continues to protest the Army's excessive pumping of groundwater at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, because the base and other users are cutting off the San Pedro River at its source. In a July 5, 1997 letter to the Garrison commander, the Center explained the significance of the San Pedro: "The San Pedro River is the last living river in the Southwest. It is home to the most extensive surviving expanse of the rarest forest type in North America, the cottonwood/willow gallery or broadleaf riparian association forest. "The San Pedro River is acknowledged to be one of the last great relatively intact, surviving ecosystems on Earth. Four hundred and eighty-nine species of birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, and reptiles reside there. Nearly one half of the 800 total North American birds frequent the San Pedro River at some point in their lives. The San Pedro River supports the second highest number of mammal species in the world. This is second only to the montane forests of Costa Rica." Members of the Center reported, this July, that the River is nearly dry at the Charleston narrows, a key site for measuring river vitality. The Center places the blame on the Army: "The U.S. Army still refuses to publicly discuss and to admit the fact that Ft. Huachuca's more than 30,000 ground water dependent troops and associated personnel represent the single greatest short-term threat to the San Pedro River." It says that the April, 1997 Finding of No Significant Impact for the addition of troops to base, under the 1995 round of realignments, is "inaccurate and illegal." It asserts: "After all, owing to excessive local ground water pumping, (1) dry season flows in the San Pedro River have decreased by 67% in the last fifty years, and (2) flows in the section of the San Pedro River closest to the area of Ft. Huachuca/Sierra Vista ground water pumping are now showing even more evidence of recent declines." It also suggests that most of the Fort missions could easily be conducted elsewhere. Lenny Siegel | |
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