Daniel Salzler No. 1154
EnviroInsight.org Four Items June 17, 2022
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1. Extreme, Severe Drought Impacting The Upper Colorado River basin In The Second
Century, New Study Finds. New study will help inform understanding of natural climate variability and assist the evaluation of the current drought compared to history.
Date: June 9, 2022
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
Summary: The Colorado River is in an extremely severe drought and has been for the last 22 years. To better understand this drought, researchers looked at the drought history within the Colorado River Basin. Previous studies have gone back 1,200 years, but this paper goes back 2,000 years. The findings, using paleo hydrology, show that there was an even more severe drought in the Colorado River Basin in the second century.
The drought currently impacting the upper Colorado River Basin is extremely severe. A new study from federal government and university scientists led by the Bureau of Reclamation and published in Geophysical Research Letters identifies a second-century drought unmatched in severity by the current drought or previously identified droughts.
“Previous studies have been limited to the past 1,200 years, but a limited number of paleo records of moisture variability date back 2,000 years,” said Subhrendu Gangopadhyay, lead author and principal engineer for the Water Resources Engineering and Management Group at the Bureau of Reclamation. “While there has been research showing extended dry periods in the southwest back to the eighth century, this reconstruction of the Colorado River extends nearly 800 years further into the past.”
The research finds that compared to the current 22-year drought in the Colorado River, with only 84% of the average water flow, the water flow during a 22-year period in the second century was much lower, just 68% of the average water flow.
“Tree-ring records are sparse back to the second century,” said Connie Woodhouse, a professor at the University of Arizona and a study co-author. “However, this extreme drought event is also documented in paleoclimatic data from lakes, bogs, and caves.”
The authors reconstructed the streamflow at Lees Ferry on the Colorado River to develop these findings.
Paleoclimatic data for the reconstruction is from a gridded network of tree-ring-based Palmer Drought Severity Index values. These extended records inform water managers whether droughts in the distant past were similar to or more severe than observed droughts in the past centuries. The baseline for the study’s analysis uses the natural flow estimates data from 1906 to 2021 from the Lees Ferry gage.
What’s Next?
The reconstructed streamflow data developed in this research is now available for public use. It is anticipated that water managers will use this new extended data to understand past droughts better and to plan for future droughts.
“The results of this work can provide water managers with an increased understanding of the range of flow variability in the Colorado River,” added Gangopadhyay. “It should provide information to help water managers plan for even more persistent and severe droughts than previously considered.”
“For future work, collection and analysis of more remnant wood can further document this second century drought,” added Woodhouse.
The Colorado River basin is experiencing a severe 22-year drought with extensive impacts throughout the West. This includes water for homes and crops to the generation of electricity that supports everything we do. Drought impacts everything within the basin.
Study co-authors also include Greg McCabe of the U.S. Geological Survey, Cody Routson from Northern Arizona University, and Dave Meko of the University of Arizona.
Reclamation continues to work with its partners to mitigate the impacts of this current 22-year drought. To learn more about the operations on the Colorado River, visit: https://www.usbr.gov/ColoradoRiverBasin/
2. Thousands Of New Viruses Discovered In The Ocean. More than 5,000 new RNA virus species were identified. By Rachael Rettner published April 10, 2022.
More than 5,000 new virus species have been identified in the world’s oceans, according to a new study.
The study researchers analyzed tens of thousands of water samples from around the globe, hunting for RNA viruses, or viruses that use RNA as their genetic material. The novel coronavirus, for instance, is a type of RNA virus. These viruses are understudied compared with DNA viruses, which use DNA as their genetic material, the authors said. The diversity of the
newfound viruses was so great that the researchers have proposed doubling the number of taxonomic groups needed to classify RNA viruses, from the existing five phyla to 10 phyla. (Phylum is a broad classification in biology just below “kingdom.”)
“There’s so much new diversity here – and an entire [new] phylum, the Taraviricota, were found all over the oceans, which suggests they’re ecologically important,” study lead author Matthew
Sullivan, a professor of microbiology at The Ohio State University, said in a statement.
Related: The deadliest viruses in history
Studies of RNA viruses have usually focused on those that cause diseases, according to Sullivan. (Some well-known RNA viruses include influenza, Ebola and the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.) But these are just a “tiny slice” of RNA viruses on Earth, Sullivan said.
“We wanted to systematically study them on a very big scale and explore an environment no one had looked at deeply,” Sullivan said in the statement.
For the study, published Thursday (April 7) in the journal Science
, the researchers analyzed 35,000 water samples taken from 121 locations in all five of the world’s oceans. The researchers are part of the Tara Oceans Consortium, a global project to study the impact of climate change on the ocean.
They examined genetic sequences extracted from small aquatic organisms known as plankton, which are common hosts for RNA viruses, the researchers said. They homed in on sequences belonging to RNA viruses by looking for an ancient gene called RdRp, which is found in all RNA viruses but is absent from other viruses and cells. They identified over 44,000 sequences with this gene.
But the RdRp gene is billions of years old, and it has evolved many times. Because the gene’s evolution goes so far back, it was difficult for the researchers to determine the evolutionary relationship between the sequences. So the researchers used machine learning to help organize them.
Overall, they identified about 5,500 new RNA virus species that fell into the five existing phyla, as well as the five newly proposed phyla, which the researchers named Taraviricota, Pomiviricota, Paraxenoviricota, Wamoviricota and Arctiviricota.
Virus species in the Taraviricota phylum were particularly abundant in temperate and tropical waters, while viruses in the Arctiviricota phylum are abundant in the Arctic Ocean, the researchers wrote in The Conversation.
Understanding how the RdRp gene diverged over time could lead to a better understanding of how early life evolved on Earth, the authors said.
“RdRp is supposed to be one of the most ancient genes — it existed before there was a need for DNA,” study co-first author Ahmed Zayed, a research scientist in microbiology at Ohio State, said in the statement. “So we’re not just tracing the origins of viruses, but also tracing the origins of life.n nOriginally published on Live Science.
3. Could This Be The Answer To Plastic Recycling? Superworms capable of munching through plastic waste. Researchers have found a species of worm with an appetite for polystyrene could be the key to plastic recycling on a mass scale.
Researchers at the University of Queensland have found a species of worm with an appetite for polystyrene could be the key to plastic recycling on a mass scale.
This is a large family of beetles native to North America, with over 1200 species of darkling beetles found in a wide variety of habitats from deserts to forests.
Scientists discovered the common Zophobas morio ‘superworm’ can eat through polystyrene, thanks to a bacterial enzyme in their gut.
Dr Chris Rinke and his team from UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences fed superworms different diets over a three week period, with some given polystyrene foam, some bran and others put on a fasting diet.
“We found the superworms fed a diet of just polystyrene not only survived, but even had marginal weight gains,” Dr Rinke said.
“This suggests the worms can derive energy from the polystyrene, most likely with the help of their gut microbes.”
The researchers used a technique called metagenomics to find several encoded enzymes with the ability to degrade polystyrene and styrene.
The long-term goal is to engineer enzymes to degrade plastic waste in recycling plants through mechanical shredding, followed by enzymatic biodegradation. “Superworms are like mini recycling plants, shredding the polystyrene with their mouths and then feeding it to the bacteria in their gut,” Dr Rinke said.
“The breakdown products from this reaction can then be used by other microbes to create high-value compounds such as bioplastics.”
It’s hoped this bio-upcycling will incentivise plastic waste recycling and reduce landfill.
4. Upper Aqua Fria Watershed June Meeting Minutes (edited). UAFWP Vision Statement: As prudent stewards of the Upper Agua Fria Watershed – which provides beauty, bounty and sustenance – we envision a sustainable multi-generational future of health and continued abundance achieved through best-practice management of this semi-arid watershed’s natural systems.
UAFWP Mission Statement: The Upper Agua Fria Watershed Partnership provides a regular forum to engage diverse stakeholders proactively to develop, discuss and coordinate:
Relevant objective information, Collaborative work projects, and
Best management policies concerning holistic, long term health of the watershed’s natural systems in the context of demographic
and ecological change.
UAFWP June 7, 2022 Notes
1. Introductions: and Announcements:
2. THANKS to Henry Dahlberg for hosting on this beautiful day here on the 35 acres he reserved for his family when U of A took over the Camp; everyone grateful for the opportunity to experience the beautiful headwaters of Ash Creek. Henry Dahlberg (HD): 54 years of restoration work on the watershed since 1950, the latest an EQUIP grant to trim 54 more acres, multiple gabions along drainage, 4 sediment basins being studied through RAC grant to learn how much rain needed to move how much material downstream; recently, low rainfall equals low martial movement; working on beaver analog dams, cut wood from thinning in channels; leave logs where they fall.
3. Arizona Metals/ Black Canyon City/ Kay Mine: Jeff Gursh (JG): Passed around 2.5 inch core sample from current exploratory drilling; 1500 ft down, granite, graphite, pyrite. looking for signs of ore body suitable for mining; area worked for over 100 years, some patented and unpatented claims; using old access road from the 20’s which will eventually be available for fire suppression; Hotline available for any questions: 623-252-2291 and <safety@arizonametalscorp.com>; mine will definitely be all underground; not open pit; graphite in core indicates close to ore. Don Steuter (DS): probably 99.7% waste; on BLM Land,
no NEPA required; 5 acre limit; must survey for biological resources, archeological, tortoise,BLM makes regular visits; Jeff Gursh former BLM Ranger so familiar with what is required.
a. James Gregory (JG) Black Canyon City Community Meeting May 23, 2022, 5:30 pm Canon School,; Dave Smith from Arizona Metals participated.
b. Natural Riparian Resource Inventory: Cody Carter conducted in past; Horseshoe Bend south; Supervisor Gregory brings Satellite image of Kay Mine area as a start. Tony
Angueira (TA); drone footage can be used as supplemental to cover any gaps. Big task to identify landowners, get permission to inventory, compile data
4. Solar Farm Proposals: Dave Iadarola(DI): Official letter from Az State Land Dept (ASLD) has been received by Candela; lease terms must be negotiated; appraisal, board of appeals, then auction; maybe in Sept/Oct. No active development yet; permitted to access site for design prep; no power purchase agreement yet; likely a utility; Dave Hamernick (DH): Does change in interest rates affect project? DI: Naturgy, Spanish Energy Company handles financial; near term issues like tariffs, supply chain issues. Tom Thurman (TT): heard from Supervisors that panels must not come from China. DI: First Solar, Canada, India are potential sources. James Gregory arrives late due to tire issue, etc; brings satellite images of project area. Bond will be required to cover costs if project goes belly up or becomes uneconomic, $ for restoration; lease term typically 25 years. DS: don’t need investment tax credit as renewable energy is so competitive; issues because Colorado River and Reservoirs so low; possibility of loss of hydro power. TT: Page Coal fired plant decommissioned; possible brown outs this summer; heard France working on cold fusion but a long way out. Mayer Fire District and School will benefit from Solar Farm $$ generated. 50% of costs may be in batteries which must store 4 to 6 hours of power; will be in individual containers for protection. DI: electrons like water flow to easiest path; chance Candela power could flow to local needs; how many homes served by project?: 900 homes per year per megawatt times 400 so about 400,000 homes to be served.
5. ADOT: <improvingi17.com> for presentation and more info. or call 877-476-1717.Greg Watts brought copies of Foothills Focus article on Black Canyon City/ADOT Water Issue: https://issuu.com/timespub/docs/foothills_focus_060122_zone_i
Well levels are now being monitored in BCC.
Dave Moore , Manager of Black Canyon City Water Improvement District, wrote notes on his meeting with Kiewitt-Fann-Joint-Ventures representative:
May 28 Mary, Here is a recap of what I know to date, on the contractor’s current plans for water sources. I am sure it will change over time based on the current inflation situation and locations of sources, travel, wages for delivery, etc.
According to my meeting with Kiewit/Fann, they estimated the water requirement for this I-17 Imp. project to be 114 Million Gal.
So far they have the following sources for water either secured or in talks with the parties:
Anthem – Reclaimed water from Epcor is available in large quantities. Maybe use 3040% of the needed water. However, the distance and cost of transport may play into this. Due to costs for transport this amount of reclaimed water may not be as much. They will have to see.
Bumblebee – They are in talks with the owner of a well, and probably will use water from here Table Mesa – Fann Construction has an existing well and is drilling at least one more for the construction of I17 Park Lane, BCC – Using an existing well from the homeowner. The contractor rehabbing well or equipment. They will use this to fill the retention pond in the center median between north and southbound.
Black Canyon City (BCC) – The contractor may be in talks with another large well owner. Have not confirmed the location in BCC as yet South of Rock Springs – near Moore’s Gulch/Gillett mine – AZ Outdoor Adventure Group and Kiewit in talks on Pond being constructed that a new Zip Line Adventure will be installed to cross over pond. Water use for I-17 as well Expressed the Water Districts’ concerns on the Park Ln water use as this location is very close proximity to 4 of our wells.
Expressed concerns about our dropping water table at all of our wells, and the impact this construction could have on that if water was sourced here.
Inquired if Kiewit would be monitoring the water situation in BCC and would stop pulling water from here if it was deemed necessary?
Kiewit stated most water would be coming from the South of BCC, and that they were aware of our concerns, and had no intention of harming our town. They would monitor and stop if need be.
June 8, 2022: Mary talked with Kelly at Bumblebee Ranch (623-694-1165) about KFJV’s water request. They asked for 10 million gallons over a year and a half and offered to build a pipeline. Kelly has a 60 gal/minute well and decided that amount of water was too much.The water table has dropped from 17 ‘ to 24 ‘ since April and their ranch pond has dried up. They have received no significant rain for 2 years. So her bottom line is no water for KFJV from Bumblebee Ranch. She said she understood KFJV drilling another well on their Table Mesa Road facility. (Do those wells impact New River aquifer?)
Greg Watts (GW): hopes for independent well level monitor. Capacity of BBC Aquifer is unclear; no recharge numbers, no hydrology report.
Dave Hamernick: For Cordes Junction Traffic Interchange Reconfiguration, contractor used way more than early estimated water. Important to understand projected monthly water needs. When Big Bug Spring went dry, contractor brought some shallow tubs for cattle and wildlife but had to be prompted to fill them regularly with water. Big Bug Spring which came back after 5 years is now down to a puddle; was 600 gal/minute flow 50 years ago.
GW: Roger Waggoner former owner of Cold Water Canyon Water Company has said if BBC aquifer impacted and water supplies dwindle property values could plummet.
JGr: We need to be the squeaky wheel.
MH: possibilities of a Rural Management Area in Yavapai County to deal with water conflicts?
JGr: was discussed but all the municipalities in the county were against it. Verde iValley is the most anti-growth are; Big Chino Issues, Yavapai Water Ranch (didn’t go through) TT: in favor of required xeriscaping on all new homes. John Munderloh retired from Prescott Valley. Tom Wittmer in Cottonwood only old water hand left.
6. Friends of the Agua Fria National Monument: Tim Flood TF: 2021 Wet/Dry as dry as ever in 14 years, continued drying as summer went on, trickle, maybe a quart or pint per second flow, drought hit river and trees very hard, no excess water to be had. Draft map available, worked on by volunteer Nikki Eiden; eventually 2008 to present on site. <Wet-Dry Mapping 2021 (Draft) (arcgis.com)> No uniform segments over the years so hard to draw conclusions. 65% in 2021 from Cherry to Black Canyon City; takes a long time to see trends, but looks like continued drying. Readings taken at hottest, driest time of year. Need to pray for snow for real recharge.
2022 plan for informal mapping, 20 segments from June 18 to July 3.
Yellow billed Cuckoo surveys: Audubon training for students on the process starting June 19, fixed segments around Horseshoe Ranch, north and south of the ford. Permit through SW Audubon, also on Silver Creek. Roger Joos and Damon Haan: a couple of sites on Hassayampa, Tracy McCarthy, AZGFD. TF: Black Canyon City confluence a spectacular riparian habitat where YBC has been spotted. Would be wise to survey. Dave Smith would like to volunteer for wet/dry mapping|
Adam Hawkins (AH) – globe chamomile in the river, up from the south. Linn Williams (LW) working on invasive removal at Arcosanti: Tamarisk , Tree of Heaven. grant from NRCS for removal. TT: tamarisk beetle introduced in Moab to try to control tamarisk. Tamarisk removal at Badger Spring, has returned.
Tiffany Sprague: New AGFD Renewable Energy Evaluation Specialist; many projects throughout the state. Mitigation for Candela Project.
JGr: Prescott National Forest at high risk for fire so additional resources allocated nationally; Group from Alta Utah stationed up road from Mingus Springs.
Interesting article shared by Tom Thurman regarding ASLD and water use: https://www.azcentral.com/in-depth/news/local/arizonaenvironment/2022/06/09/arizona-gives-sweet-deal-saudi-farm-pumping-waterstate-land/8225377002/
Next Meeting: July 5, 2022 on line
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