Progress - Activity Report

 for Oso Wash

Friends of the Santa Cruz River (FOSCR) and Mexicayotl Academy

Environmental Project with City of Nogales, Arizona

October 28, 2004

City of Nogales

777 North Grand Avenue

Nogales, AZ 85621

Attention: Jaime Fontes, City Manager

Dear Mr. Fontes:

The morning of Thursday, October 21, 2004, Mr. Jose Yanez of the City’s Public Works Department and myself met with Ingeniero Miguel Kuraica Salcedo, Director of Public Works for the Ayuntamiento De Nogales, Sonora. Together we conducted a site visit of the Oso Wash headwaters in the Mascarenas area along the road to Cananea.

Oso Wash has prompted the concern of FOSCR since Mr. Paul Hathaway brought it to our attention over a year ago because it presents unknown potential contamination threats to the City of Nogales’ potable water supply, as you can read in the attached FLOW (FOSCR Newsletter) article.

Although clean-ups of the garbage deposits have now been conducted on both sides of the international border, concerns of potential surface and groundwater contamination remain, based on our observations during our follow-up inspection of the headwaters.

Specific observations that prolong our concern within the Oso Wash headwaters include oil stains on soils, evidence of burnt electrical cables (for copper extraction), remaining disposals of dripping automotive oil filters, a variety of automotive parts, asbestos, burnt and unburnt tires, animal carcasses, concrete rubble, roofing shingles, dry wall, rotting wooden boards and other construction debris, asphaltic rubbles, rugs and carpeting, plastic bags, sheets, and bottles; some still containing what appears to be spent motor oil.

The discards are spread along the roadside as a matter of “convenience” to dumpers who choose not to use the nearby free garbage transfer station. Ingeniero Kuraica noted that although several fines were leveled against violators, the dumping has continued since he directed the clean-ups.

Attached please find copies of photographs of the Mexicayotl Academy clean-up, the aforementioned FLOW background article, and a Nogales International Newspaper photograph. We are awaiting delivery of Ingeniero Kuraica’s headwater clean-up documentation and photographs.

In view of the up-coming winter rains, I strongly suggest that water quality sampling be conducted as soon as possible in Oso Wash on the United States side of the border to detect any possible contamination that could threaten the City’s potable water supply at the downstream pumping station near Kino Springs. A permanent long-term solution to stop the source must also be sought. I recommend that we seek ADEQ and IBWC assistance with this matter, for both the long-term sampling and the source mitigation efforts.

As a member of the IBWC Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum, I think this matter would be an appropriate topic for the next, or a subsequent IBWC-SEACF meeting. As always, FOSCR and I are here to assist the City in this, and any other environmental issue, in any way we can.

Please contact me at your earliest convenience at 281-8878 or 940-3883 to discuss possible options and any questions, comments, or suggestions you may have.

Thank you for your assistance with this matter.

Respectfully submitted;

Ben Lomeli,

Chief Hydrologist, Greg Carlson Engineering L.L.C.,

President, Friends of Santa Cruz River

cc: w/o attachments

             Paul Hathaway

Balty Garcia

Miguel Kuraica

Greg Carlson, P.E.

FOSCR