Upper Santa Cruz River: Summary of Field Work from 2008

New report by The Sonoran Institute

The goal of this assessment is to promote a better understanding
of the health of the Upper Santa Cruz River limited to those areas above the Nogales  International Water Treatment facility in Rio Rico , Tubac where an other effluent discharge area is located, and Amado. The assessment tracks aquatic and riparian health - in ten classifications - using scientific information gathered in field locations and establishes a baseline from which changes in the health of the Upper Santa Cruz River over time.
This is the first annual summary based on data from 2008 before the treatment facility in Rio Rico was part of the system. Samples taken then indicate certain high levels of dissolved chemicals in the water at different locations, and very little aquatic wildlife sustained in the river at that time.