News Bulletin

Board of Supervisors Memorandum: Clean Water Act and Designation of the Santa Cruz River As Traditionally Navigable Water (TNW)

July 18, 2008 -- An article in the Arizona Daily Star indicated that county staff was opposed to federal regulations regarding the Clean Water Act, contrary to adopted riparian conservation policy as stated in the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. Such is not the case. Staff efforts have centered on trying to obtain consistent and technically sound determinations regarding Clean Water Act applicability to streams and rivers of the arid west which is dominated by ephemeral water flow. Based on a United States Supreme Court decision related to the Clean Water Act administration, this has become increasingly difficult. The center of the present discussion is over the concept of Traditionally Navigable Water (TNW).

Click here to read the full BOS memo.

Detour Alert: State Route 86 in the Town of Sells

July 14, 2008 -- The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has placed a ¾ mile detour on State Route 86 in the Town of Sells, due to a road washout. Westbound traffic is being detoured to the south at milepost 114 along the roads leading to the Police Department and Sells Hospital. The detour then loops back onto State Route 86. Eastbound traffic is being detoured in the opposite direction.

Click here to read the full ADOT press release.

Update: Route 86/Sells detour in effect for four weeks

July 14, 2008 -- The detour in place off State Route 86 in the Town of Sells, due to a road washout, is now expected to be in effect for four weeks. Commercial trucking is prohibited through the Town of Sells and cannot use the detour on State Route 86.

Click here to read the ADOT project update.

Pima County Board of Supervisors Challenge Process for Proposed Rosemont Copper Mine.

July 1, 2008 -- Supervisor Bronson and the Board of Supervisors approved sending comments to the Forest Service regarding the Rosemont Mine EIS.

“The scoping process for the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine is a flawed process. Scoping should be halted and started again when a complete mine plan of operations is available so that direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts can be assessed, and when cooperative agencies have been invited into the process to contributed (sic) needed expertise. In addition, the 'purpose and need' for the project is so narrow that it precludes alternatives that would still meet the need of the Federal government to provide for the development of copper resources in locations that would result in far fewer environmental, social, and economic impacts. Finally, before any more time and effort is spent on analyzing the impacts of this propose (sic) mining project, the Forest Service should investigate whether Rosemont's mining claims are valid."

Click here to read the full memo.

Bronson Protests Destruction of RTA Ballots

July 10, 2008 -- Pima County Supervisors Sharon Bronson and Ramon Valadez stood up to Republican Treasurer, Beth Ford, Wednesday by sending a letter stating their strong objection to the destruction of the RTA ballots from the 2006 election.

“The destruction of the ballots would serve neither the best interest of the public nor the interest of Pima County government,” the two wrote.

Click here to read the full article in the Arizona Daily Star.