Bid received to repair School Canyon diversion; Forest Service says it will not approve berm repairs

Bob Proctor, president of Friends of Sonoita Creek (FoSC), told the Sonoita Creek Flood and Flow Study Committee that FoSC received a bid from Borderlands Restoration Network to address the failure of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) diversion structures in School Canyon and that the project now needs funding.

The committee discussed options for stabilizing the site. Proctor said volunteers could clear and place wood on the berm and that a large oak tree on South32 property would need to be removed to proceed. “A Bid from Borderlands Restoration Network was received. Now we need to find funding,” Proctor said.

Rodrigo Sierra‑Corona, director of BRN, reported the Forest Service’s position: the agency will not approve repairs to the berm because, the Forest Service asserts, the water should follow its natural path. Rodrigo summarized the Forest Service response to the committee as, “There will be no approval to fix the berm because it should follow its natural flow.”

Committee members reviewed the site history. Proctor noted the CCC installed the diversion channel in 1938 and that a rock gabion was built in 1995 by Tree of Life. He said retention ponds previously flowed into each other and that a resident reported flooding in 1993 at a nearby trailer court. The committee identified next steps including pursuing a NEPA review and considering an appeal of the Forest Service decision; Proctor characterized an appeal as a possible action item and said the town and the Mesa homeowners association would need to cooperate to pursue repairs and funding.

No formal motion to authorize repairs or to fund them was recorded during the meeting. The committee’s conversation focused on next steps: securing funding, pursuing environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), coordinating with affected property owners, and considering an appeal of the Forest Service position.