The Cobre Valley
Part of the “Copper Corridor”, the Cobre Valley is nestled at 3,500 feet in the mountains of southern Gila County and 85 miles east of Phoenix, Arizona. The Cobre Valley encompasses about 100 square miles, consists of seven sub-watershed in the Salt River Basin, and residents rely primary on groundwater as their source of water. The towns of Globe, Claypool, and Miami all reside within the same valley and share many of the same issues surrounding water, including:
- Reliable sources of potable water
- Groundwater contamination
- Aging infrastructure
- Stormwater management
- Environmental conditions
- Changing economic landscape
Formation of the Cobre Valley Watershed Partnership
Facilitated by a USBOR WaterSMART grant and building on prior work conducted by the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center, the Cobre Valley Watershed Partnership (CVWP) aims to create a hub for idea and organization around water issues within the Cobre Valley. The CVWP brings together brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to tackle challenges and contribute to a Watershed Action Plan that has a clear vision and robust support from the tri-cities community of Globe, Claypool, and Miami.
Formation of the CVWP provides a number of benefits to the community, including: educating individuals and organizations on important watershed issues; increasing capacity to design and implement projects; creating opportunities to improve relationships and trust; and fostering community cohesion and a shared sense of purpose.
Vision
Create and maintain vibrant and healthy communities, environment, and economy in the Cobre Valley by fostering collaboration, transparent decision-making, environmental stewardship, and cooperative projects that will benefit the watershed for generations to come
Mission
The Cobre Valley Watershed Partnership strives to facilitate stakeholder driven watershed planning that promotes environmental stewardship and sustainable economic development through community action and educational outreach.
Goals
- System Efficiency and Wise Utilization of Resources
- Revise existing water budget with updated data and information
- Expand management practices of land to better utilize storm water flows and quality
- Economy and Development
- Set framework for private-public partnerships for long-term water supply resilience
- Explore feasibility of matching water quality to use
- Recreation and Environment
- Foster ecological stewardship to preserve, enhance, and manage natural resources for resilience, adaptation, and restoration
- Combine and share both knowledge and resources under guiding philosophies for collective impact
- Water Awareness
- Educate the public and decision-makers to increase awareness and motivate action