The Arizona-Sonora TAAP Team Meets at Quitobaquito Springs
The last weekend of February was full of adventure for the Arizona-Sonora Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) team that met at Quitobaquito Springs. Located within the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona, Quitobaquito Springs and its surroundings provide critical resources in this arid bioregion that has sustained numerous people and cultures through time, including the Hia C-ed O'odham and the Tohono O'odham. It is also the home of the endangered Sonoyta pupfish and Sonoran mud turtle. Flow rates at Quitobaquito Springs have significantly decreased over recent decades, raising concerns regarding the sustainability of the freshwater resource. The goal of this collaboration, funded by the National Park Service and the TAAP, is to improve the hydrogeologic understanding of the source of Quitobaquito Springs. Team members that met at Quitobaquito included James Callegary and Libby Wildermuth (USGS), Christopher Eastoe (University of Arizona), Alfredo Ochoa and Hector Noriega (Universidad de Sonora in Mexico), and Elia Tapia (Universidad de Sonora-WRRC). Team members engaged in hydrogeologic mapping activities and sediment sampling to provide the National Park Service with valuable information to protect and preserve the area. Team members will continue to work within the region during 2023.
Image: Hector A. Noriega Ruiz. Alfredo Ochoa and James Callegary at Quibaquito Springs