Reclamation Article Series, Part 3: Eloy and Maricopa-Stanfield Basin Study

The following is part three of a four-part article series from our valued colleagues at the US Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). The series will cover the three Basin Studies currently underway in Arizona. John Rasmussen, Eve Halper, and Valerie Swick, Water Resource Planners at Reclamation, authored the series. The final article in the series will be published in the January 8, 2021 issue of the Weekly Wave.

 

The Eloy and Maricopa-Stanfield Basin Study (Basin Study) is a collaboration between the US Bureau of Reclamation and the Pinal Partnership. The Pinal Partnership is an organization made up of public and private groups to create a vision of uniting community growth efforts in Pinal County. The study area is approximately 2,000 square miles of Pinal County in central Arizona, located between the rapidly expanding cities of Phoenix and Tucson. This area is a “hot spot” in the Arizona water resource management arena due to the confluence of water users and water demands. Currently, non-tribal agriculture occupies about 20% of the land and accounts for about 80% of the water used in the study area. In addition to other arid-southwest water issues, these agricultural users now face large delivery reductions of Central Arizona Project (CAP) water due to agreements set forth in the recently signed multi-state Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). As a result, groundwater pumping and aquifer overdraft effects may increase. This Basin Study will document the current water budget and profile a set of future supply and demand scenarios. The scenarios will be examined in an updated groundwater flow model. Adaptation strategies will be developed that consider the modeled scenarios and optimize water use. This Basin Study, initiated in November 2018, is scheduled to be completed in May 2022. For more information please see the project website at http://pinalpartnership.com/ems-basin-study or contact Valerie Swick at vswick@usbr.gov.