Cochise County staff brief supervisors on plan to buy land for Bisbee effluent recharge; construction awaits grants

Cochise County Deputy County Administrator Joe Casey told the Board of Supervisors at a July 17 work session that staff plans to place a purchase agreement on next week’s regular meeting agenda for property tied to the Bisbee effluent recharge project.

The project is still in design: a county flood-control staff member said the effort is roughly 30% designed and that the next steps this year are to complete final design and secure construction funding. “It’s about $14,000,000 for construction,” the flood-control staff member said. County staff said the purchase of land this year is needed so engineers can finish siting the recharge basin in the final plans.

Why it matters: the county and nearby cities are pursuing recharge work to move treated effluent from currently discharged surface locations into managed recharge to bolster San Pedro River flows and to position the region for issues tied to the Gila River adjudication and surface‑water accounting. County staff described several existing and potential funding sources, and stressed that construction will not proceed until the county obtains construction grants.

Details from the work session

- Extent of design and funding. Flood-control staff said the project is at about 30% design and that finishing design this year depends on securing design funds. Staff described a multi‑phase approach: finish design, then seek construction grants before starting construction.

- Grants already in place for connected pieces. Staff said the City of Bisbee holds a WIFA (Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona) grant of $1,950,000 to build a pump station to move effluent from Bisbee toward the river; that pump station design is already underway. Staff also said the City of Sierra Vista has an America the Beautiful grant of about $1,000,000 that will fund part of the design work tied to the recharge element.

- Land acquisition needed to finish plans. Staff said the property owner is offering parcels totaling roughly 92 acres; county staff estimated the recharge basin will require perhaps 10–20 acres and that the county could buy the needed portion this year and later sell remaining acreage if it chooses. A supervisor noted that the county’s purchase (discussed in the work session as roughly $300,000) could be reversed if staff later decides not to proceed with construction, and staff confirmed the county could sell any excess land.

- Technical and hydrogeologic context. Staff said the local shallow aquifer depths are shallow—examples cited included 10 to 30 feet in places near the proposed site—and that recharge here is intended to increase surface flows downriver. The staff member referenced other regional practices, noting Sierra Vista and the City of Tucson use effluent recharge to augment river flows in local channels.

- Relationship to water-rights litigation and regional accounting. Staff and supervisors discussed the Gila River adjudication and the San Pedro River subflow zone. Flood-control staff said recharge projects could affect surface‑water accounting and help the region in ongoing adjudication processes overseen by the Arizona Department of Water Resources; staff cited the presence of more than 1,000 wells within the San Pedro subflow zone and said the initiative is intended to benefit the broader watershed, not only a single claimant.

What the board will act on (and what remains pending)

The work session discussion flagged a future formal agenda item: a purchase agreement for property related to the Bisbee effluent recharge project will be placed on the county’s regular meeting agenda for board action. At the time of the work session, staff described the purchase as a preparatory step for final design; construction would remain contingent on later grant awards. No formal vote on the purchase agreement was recorded during the work session.

Where action is dependent on outside funding

Staff repeatedly emphasized that construction — roughly estimated at $14 million — will only proceed after the county secures construction grant funding. The immediate county expenditure under discussion is for land acquisition to finish design; staff presented that as reversible if construction funding does not materialize.

Ending

County staff asked supervisors to review the materials ahead of the regular meeting. Supervisors asked follow‑up questions about aquifer depth, legal and adjudication implications, and the county’s options for reselling excess acreage if the project does not move forward to construction. The item will return on the county regular meeting agenda for possible formal approval of a purchase agreement.