Cochise flood district approves $300,000 land purchase for Bisbee effluent recharge project over one dissent

At a Flood Control District meeting in Bisbee, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted 2–1 to approve a $300,000 purchase agreement for two parcels intended for the Bisbee effluent recharge project.

The vote authorizes purchase of parcel numbers 10474101D104-80-0013A and 10474010B for the listed sellers, identified on the agenda as Mark Nabel and Kathleen Haines, husband and wife. The board approved the purchase after public testimony that included both endorsements and concerns about water quality and long‑term effects on downstream wells.

The purchase is intended to secure a location for recharging treated effluent into the San Pedro River as part of the Bisbee effluent recharge project. "We know from over 25 years of monitoring that groundwater and surface water flows in this segment of the river have been declining severely due to drought and pumping in Mexico," said Mark Appel, who described his previous role as the county's environmental projects coordinator and spoke on behalf of the Cochise Conservation and…