Every year the San Pedro floods and not one drop of this destructive flood water is recovered. Flood waters could and should be PUMPED into multiple deeps wells and into the aquifers.
We have an unused resource of this destructive flood water that could provide a surplus of water in the San Pedro aquifer. As a licensed Professional Engineer, who has lived in Sierra Vista for over fifty years, I am angry that know-nothing outsiders are stopping reasonable development within Cochise County, specifically in the Sierra Vista and Benson areas.
At no time has the anti-development lobbyist for the Sierra Club, Sandy Bahr, ever suggested that engineering technology could provide a sustaining flood water supply for Cochise County. Another trouble maker is the spokesperson of the Audubon Society, an economic terrorist against development that would create and build economic prosperity throughout Cochise County. Along with the stop the growth ideology and the shutdown of Fort Huachuca is Robin Silver. His Center for Biological Diversity organization has created a goldmine for environmental lawyers.
What is needed are engineers who will design a system consisting of a series of pumps that will capture some of the flood waters and will recharge the aquifer during the flood season. More water will be captured and recovered that will go towards building Cochise County with water, water, water.
With this innovative approach, there is no need for new laws, committee’s and reviews that chase economic/business opportunities away from Cochise County. Use of flood water to recharge the aquifers overcomes the negative anti-development 1980 Ground Water Code. Pumping flood water into wells to fill the aquifer will stop senseless judgements from our courts that put a halt on new housing development growth for the area with the speculation that there will be no water available to meet the 100 year mandate.
A flood water recovery program should and would stop the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from their wrongful and aggressive dictatorial control of private property. Deeming flimsy speculation that BLM’s stewardship of the San Pedro Riparian area would prevent their protection of the area.
A prosperous economy provides the opportunity for new job growth and for investment to others on investing monies towards their retirement. The greatest danger to a prosperous economy is the disrespect for investment capital that supports the development of new enterprise and provides a healthy employment environment. When investment capital monies are literally stolen from those who are saving for their retirement by the self-proclaimed environmentalists (wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing), our prosperous economy will collapse. The economy in Cochise County is being robbed by the unethical thieves who do not have a solution to overcome the alleged water shortages.
Pumping the seasonal destructive flood waters to recharge the aquifer is a viable option. An engineering approach is needed to ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply. Nothing will come from the fear mongers trying to STOP all development. The question before us now is how can we prevent the socially destructive mind set on preserving the San Pedro is to halt all new development and to shut Fort Huachuca down?
A wonderful opportunity for the Sierra Club and the other environmental groups to regain public acceptance from the establishment of the Yosemite National Forest and the Grand Canyon National Forest, would be to embrace an engineering approach that ensures for the recharge of the San Pedro watershed aquifers. Our environmental protection agencies can be real leaders by replacing their anti-development posture with these three concepts:
1. Raising funds to design, build, operate and maintain a system to PUMP seasonal San Pedro flood waters into the aquifer.
2. Join with the land developers of Tribute and the Villages of Vignete to retain an internationally known design and build contract to develop a system of multiple high pressure and volume pumps that will inject flood waters into the aquifer. Train and supervise the water companies on the operation of this engineering system.
3. Taking the average of a monthly water bill that includes a $10.00 surcharge would actually raise over $4,000,000,00 each year. Surcharge monies would be made available to the environmentalists on developing alternate breeding and settlement of endangered species. All this can be accomplished by operating a recharge system that will pump a portion of San Pedro flood waters into the aquifer.
A plan of this nature on applying engineering applications that will ensure the preservation of the San Pedro is the better choice. What we have now is the constant bickering initiated by the anti-development advocates who call themselves “environmentalists”.
The current approach to curtail development without using available technology to overcome suspected environmental hazards is an exercise in idiocy that is making our country a monumental failure. We are close to a national bankruptcy with a debt of 20 trillion dollars. Working with private enterprise, not asking for Federal Funds is an effective route for aquifer preservation here in Cochise County. Our national success starting in the 1880’s was the result of free enterprise, not hot air advocates who are without marketable engineering skills.
There is no water shortage when using available engineering technology. Cochise county does not need any outsiders and ill-informed advocates telling the Sierra Vista and Benson communities to stop new planned housing developments on the false theory of the only way to protect the San Pedro aquifer is to ban all development. These advocates are truly mental midgets who lack any type of common sense.
When presenting development plans within a state county, meetings should be limited to identifying solutions supported by presentations of well know international design and building engineering/construction companies. Individuals who want to stop development are distractors and should be declared “out of order” as their comments do not address a solution that is best for communities in the county. The promoters of gloomy economic growth under the guise of protecting the environment, do not care about our communities and refuse to raise funds towards the recharge of the aquifer to improve the economy. We do have other choices. There are design and build engineering / construction firms that have investment raising capabilities. These companies have the ability to fund, design, build and operate until paid for.
In the 1930’s, highway toll bridges across the Columbia River were built with private investment capital to provide vital transportation links in an era when Oregon and Washington were without funds. Freeway toll roads in Florida have been built. This approach with private enterprise would free our local economy from perpetual harassment of the anti-development environmental activists.