2. in west-central Arizona. Follow the tale of two of Arizona's most important rivers. | Prior to the removal of sunfish, Speckled Dace were only present in the lower one mile of the removal … Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. The Big Sandy River, the larger of the two main tributaries to the Bill Williams River, drains an area of about 2,840 square miles. Prepared with assistance from the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. So far, the project is demonstrating that science-guided adjustments to dam operations can benefit nature while maintaining—or even increasing—other services, such as hydropower generation, water supply, recreation and flood risk management. | Terms Of Use | Statement of Privacy | Site Map. The 6,100-acre Bill Water … BILL WILLIAMS RIVER WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT ACT - H.R. +1 this. The driest time of the year is later spring. The area around Alamo Lake and along the Bill Williams River is home to a number of protected species. , Bill Williams . You have NO PERMISSION over the resource you are about to remove, which means you CAN NOT add it back later. To direct the Secretary of the Interior to enter into the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Water Rights Settlement Agreement and the Hualapai Tribe Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Agreement, to provide for the lease of certain land located within Planet Ranch on the Bill Williams River in the State of Arizona to benefit the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, and to … Detail of the Bill Williams River watershed. Burro Creek is the largest tributary in this reach. The longest segment is between Lincoln Ranch and Planet Ranch, a distance of approximately 23 river miles.The climate is typically desert in character over the lower elevations of the basin, with short, mild winters and long, hot summers. 4924 The report released on June 25, 2015, by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) confirms that this law is a win-win for Arizona and for Mohave County. Agricultural use is limited to irrigation of a single cotton farm; however, as recently as the 1990s alfalfa farming was more prevalent. This stream, which is formed by the confluence of Kirkland and Sycamore Creeks, flows southwestward about 51 miles to its junction with the Big Sandy River. Department of Environmental Quality . For Arizona’s RiversCompared with many other Arizona rivers, human water use in the Bill Williams watershed is relatively minimal. BILL WILLIAMS RIVER WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT ACT - H.R. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to enter into the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Water Rights Settlement Agreement and the Hualapai Tribe Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Agreement, to provide for the lease of certain land located within Planet Ranch on the Bill Williams River in the State of Arizona to benefit the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, and to … HydroShare is Open Source. The bill settles a water rights dispute in the Bill Williams Watershed, providing certainty for the … 2.10 “Bill Williams River Watershed” shall mean the watershed drained by the Bill Williams River and all of its tributaries, including, but not limited to, the Big Sandy and the Santa Maria Rivers, as depicted on the map attached hereto as Exhibit 2.10. The Bill Williams Watershed can be separated into the following drainage areas in Arizona: 15030201 Big Sandy River 15030202 Burro Creek 15030203 Santa Maria River 15030204 Bill Williams River These drainage areas and the surface waters assessed as “attaining” or “impaired” are illustrated on the following watershed map. Most of the river below Alamo Dam, the only major dam and reservoir in the watershed, runs through wholly undeveloped lands. A key purpose of the dike is to help prevent sediment from entering the intake channel. Despite wild and baseless claims from some opponents, CRS affirmed |, Join the million supporters who stand with us in taking action for our planet, Get text updates from The Nature Conservancy*, in western Arizona flows approximately 45 miles to the, Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Bill Williams River Corridor Steering Committee. Explore the latest thinking from our experts on some of the most significant challenges we face today, including climate change, food and water security, and city growth. | Global sites represent either regional branches of The Nature Conservancy or local affiliates of The Nature Conservancy that are separate entities. The Bill Williams River is formed about 47 miles upstream from its mouth by the confluence of the Big Sandy and Santa Maria Rivers. Public Law No: 113-223 facilitates the achievement of a fair and equitable settlement of certain claims within the Bill Williams River watershed among the Hualapai Tribe, the U.S. Department of the Interior acting on behalf of itself and as trustee for the Tribe, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, and Freeport McMoRan Minerals Corporation. Find us on Github. Water in the Bill Williams River is connected hydraulically with and recharges the river aquifer, and water in this hydrologic system supports the riparian and wildlife habitat within the refuge, which is operated by the U.S. In years of severe flooding, the gates at the dam were left open for months at a time, releasing a steady, high level of water that left the habitat downstream completely inundated. (2018). It is the diversity of habitats found on the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge that sustains one of the highest diversity of wildlife and plant species within the lower Colorado River watershed. Despite wild and baseless claims from some opponents, CRS affirmed Terms of Use This dike created an intake channel on Lake Havasu on the south side of the Bill Williams River arm of the lake. The dam, located in a watershed that's subject to both long droughts and large floods, significantly changed the woodland habitat downstream from the dam. The flow reached its peak on Wednesday morning, and on Thursday areas of Planet Ranch road were closed because of flooding. The principal tributaries of the Bill Will- iams are Big Sandy River, which heads east of Kingman, and Santa Maria River, which heads near Hillside. The Bill Williams River basin drains most of west-central Arizona, straddling Mohave, Yavapai and La Paz counties (Figure 1). The lower portion of the river, in the Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge is accessible from the road south of the Bill Williams bridge on Highway 95. 2 Clearing deleted resources and updating bag. Year-round flows on the three rivers and their tributaries support long, continuous strips of cottonwood, willow and mesquite woodlands that are home to a wide array of wildlife, including more than 350 species of birds. Thanks to changes in which water is released from Alamo Dam, the refuge is now described as containing the last extensive native forest and plant community along the lower Colorado River. Ecologically, the river serves an important function as a wildlife corridor. Cross-border collaborations bring lasting results to one of America’s last large undammed rivers. 4924 The report released on June 25, 2015, by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) confirms that this law is a win-win for Arizona and for Mohave County. The drainage area is bounded on the north by the Cottonwood Cliffs; on the east, by the Juniper and Santa Maria Mountains; on the south by Date Creek and the Harcuvar Mountains; and on the west by the Hualpai Mountains. Managing rare ecosystems in a unique natural setting. 2004: Comparison of measured hydraulic properties to predicted values of the Upper San Pedro watershed, Arizona: 2004: Desiccation cracks- update: Harris, R.C. This law facilitates the achievement of a fair and equitable settlement of certain claims within the Bill Williams River watershed among the Hualapai Tribe, the U.S. Department of the Interior acting on behalf of itself and as trustee for the Tribe, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, and Freeport McMoRan Minerals Corporation. On the Bill Williams River in western Arizona, we have had the opportunity to help design and monitor the effects of several high flow releases since the mid 1990’s. ... Bill Williams Watershed Executive Summary Ex-1 . The Bill Williams watershed encompasses over 687,699 acres and stretches across Arizona. River, AZ; (2) a detailed hydro-acoustic survey of Alamo Lake and the Bill Williams Delta in Lake Havasu, to develop a bathymetric map of the lake bottoms, (3) the collection and analysis of sediment cores from Alamo Lake and the Bill Williams Delta in Lake Havasu, and (4) reporting on the linked geomorphic USACE Model Registry Administrator Stand up for our natural world with The Nature Conservancy. Bill Williams River Watershed Mohave, Yavapai, & Yuma Counties Arizona Department of Environmental Quality October 2012 Open File Report 12-04 . The Settlement Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to enter into the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Water Rights Settlement Agreement and the Hualapai Tribe Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Agreement, to provide for the lease of certain land located within Planet Ranch on the Bill Williams River in the State of Arizona to benefit the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation … Available data for this site Click to hide station-specific text Station operated in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Metro Water District of Southern California. Charitable Solicitation Disclosures Bill Williams River Watershed Physical geographic description . 12/16/2014--Public Law. The Conservancy is working with the Corps of Engineers to implement lessons learned through the Sustainable Rivers Project at all of the more than 650 dams the Corps operates. The drainage area above Alamo, approximately 4,770 square miles in size, is generally mountainous, and lies in west-central Arizona. It is a 46.3-mile-long river in west-central Arizona where it, along with its tributary, the Santa Maria River, form the boundary between Mohave County to the north and La Paz County to the south. Alamo Lake is arguably one of the best largemouth bass and crappie fisheries in Arizona! Drainage Area . Fish and Wildlife Service. Ground-water, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona, 2002-03: Truini, Margot and Thomas, B.E. 816-389-3612. Today the refuge spans more than 6,100 acres, stretching along the lower 12 miles of the Bill Williams and encompassing its confluence with the Colorado River. The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 53-0242652) under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. PROVISIONAL DATA SUBJECT TO REVISION. This stream, which is formed by the confluence of Trout and Knight Creeks, flows southward about 49 miles on an average stream gradient of 38 feet per mile to its confluence with the Santa Maria River. Relief is moderate to high. The stream gradient of the Santa Maria River is about 30 feet per mile. The Bill Williams River Basin (Figure 1) drainage area covers approximately 5,373 mi. In 1969, Alamo Dam was completed to reduce flooding on the Bill Williams River. The Corps Water Management System (CWMS) includes four interrelated models to assist with water management for the basin: - GeoHMS (Geospatial Hydrologic Modeling Extension)- ResSIM (Reservoir System Simulation)- RAS (River Analysis System)- FIA (Flood Impact Analysis). The dam created Alamo Lake, which receives all flows from the Big Sandy and Santa Maria rivers. Privacy Statement Automation makes irrigation more efficient and leaves more water in the Verde River for agriculture and for nature. The content you have requested to access is not stored in HydroShare, and we can’t guarantee its availability, Bill Williams River Basin Water Surface Elevation (in Feet) Compiled: 08Mar2021 1601 Considered the largest manager of water in the world, such action by the Corps would have the potential to influence the way other dams around the globe are operated. It is a major drainage westwards into the Colorado River of the Lower Colorado River Valley south of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, and the drainage basin covers portions of northwest, and west-central Arizona. Bullard Wash is the largest tributary along this reach. *Mobile Terms & Conditions Explore how we've evolved to tackle some of the world's greatest challenges. 2-10: USGS Gage 09426000 (Bill Williams River Below Alamo Dam) Hydrograph. The Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge protects the lower course of the Bill Williams River, to its mouth at Lake Havasu reservoir, in western Arizona. The Bill Williams River proper measures approximately 50 miles in length, covers approximately 1,109 mi. The challenges we face today are like no other time, in scale or complexity. Below Alamo Dam, the river flows almost due west to its confluence with the Colorado River. (, Download All Content as Zipped BagIt Archive, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, USACE CWMS - Bill Williams River Watershed Bank Lines, USACE CWMS - Bill Williams River Watershed Centerline, USACE CWMS - Bill Williams River Watershed Study Area, USACE CWMS - Bill Williams River Watershed Boundary, USACE CWMS - Bill Williams River Watershed, Learn more about the Bagit Alamo Lake Mercury TMDL October 2012 i This page left intentionally blank. Date Creek is the largest tributary in this reach. The goal is not to match exactly the pre-dam conditions, but to restore critical ecological processes, like fish migration on Oregon's Willamette River, or—in the case of the Bill Williams—growing and sustaining cottonwood and willow trees. In 2012, East Ash Creek in the Bill Williams River watershed was dominated by nonnative Green Sunfish and contained only small numbers of native Speckled Dace. The project uses science to guide dam operations in ways that mimic a river's natural flow patterns. (8) CONSERVATION PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Conservation Pro- From the confluence, the flow is southwest for about 8 miles on an average gradient of 18 feet per mile to Alamo Dam. The longest segment is between Lincoln Ranch and Planet Ranch, a distance of approximately 23 river miles. The Bill Williams River is a perennial stream, although subterranean in some reaches. Work alongside TNC staff, partners and other volunteers to care for nature, and discover unique events, tours and activities across the country. If the externally linked content is large, access may take time. At the very southern end of Lake Havasu the Bill Williams River ends. Drainage basins like this one funnel all the streams, snowmelt, and rainfall to a common outlet such as the outflow of a reservoir, or mouth of a bay. The Santa Maria River drains an area of about 1,550 square miles. water. (7) BILL WILLIAMS RIVER WATERSHED.—The term ‘‘Bill Wil-liams River watershed’’ means the watershed drained by the Bill Williams River and the tributaries of that river, including the Big Sandy and Santa Maria Rivers. Williams Watershed. Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act of 2014 - (Sec. In downloading this resource contents you are ethically bound to respect the terms of this license. Surface … The Bill Williams River NWR burn (5-acres) will remove debris piles off of the East end of Planet Ranch Rd. The streambed gradients of many of the minor upstream tributaries in the Bill Williams River system are greater than 100 feet per mile. OTHER BILL DETAILS: HR 4924 – The purposes of this Act are– (1) to achieve a fair, equitable, and final settlement of certain claims among certain parties to water rights in the Bill Williams River watershed in the State of Arizona for– (A) the Hualapai Tribe (acting on behalf of the Tribe and members of the Tribe); and Its watershed contains an area larger than the state of Connecticut. It allows wildlife to travel across the desert landscape expanding their range and establishing new territories. The climate is typically desert in character over the lower elevations of the basin, with short, mild winters and long, hot summers. Please confirm that you accept the terms of this license below before you can do any downloads for this resource. Our work has focused on understanding effects of managed high flow releases (a.k.a., pulse flows, controlled floods) from dams along rivers in the lower Colorado River basin. This lake is subject to abrupt water level fluctuations so we … The Bill Williams River flows through the wild Arizona desert. Are you sure you want to copy this resource bag to your iRODS user zone? This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under awards 1148453, 1148090, 1664018, 1664061, 1338606, and 1664119. archive format, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/9169a769c820414ab7413cc34ca628f4, Jason Sheeley Donate before 2020 ends and every $1 you give becomes $2 to protect nature. The Bill Williams River is a perennial stream, although subterranean in some reaches. Both cases had devastating effects. 2004 The Bill Williams River is a 46.3-mile-long (74.5 km) river in west-central Arizona where it, along with its tributary, the Santa Maria River, form the boundary between Mohave County to the north and La Paz County to the south. INTRODUCTION The study area includes the flood plain and adjacent alluvial slopes within the Bill Williams River drainage basin that lie within the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge (refuge) and Planet Ranch (fig. USACE CWMS - Bill Williams River Watershed, HydroShare. 2-11: USGS Gage 09426620 (Bill Williams River near Parker) Hydrograph. confluence of the Bill Williams River with Lake Havasu. In the early 1990s, the Bill Williams River Corridor Steering Committee was formed to help manage water flows from Alamo Dam in a way that could restore habitat downstream, and to resolve conflicts that might arise. Solving them requires not only more energy and resources; it requires a new kind of conservation. In years of drought, the dam slowly accumulated and held all the water that flowed into it, leaving the Bill Williams—and the habitat it sustained—completely dry. Below Alamo Dam, the Bill Williams flows approximately 45 miles through hilly desert terrain before joining the Colorado River at Lake Havasu. This 3,500 acre lake was created in 1968 following the construction of an earthen dam on the Bill Williams River. Please wait... Be the first one to  The . Formed by the confluence of the Big Sandy and Santa Maria rivers—just upstream of Alamo Lake – the Bill Williams River in western Arizona flows approximately 45 miles to the Colorado River. The Bill Williams River flows through the wild Arizona desert. It has been recognized by the National Audubon Society and The American Bird Conservancy as a birding area of global importance. The 400-acre Havasu NWR burn will be adjacent to Topock Marsh, in cattail marshes between Sacramento Wash and the Colorado River Levee Road. The equivalent drainage system paralleling the east–west lower reaches of the Bill Willi… Formed by the confluence of the Big Sandy and Santa Maria rivers—just upstream of Alamo Lake – the Bill Williams River in western Arizona flows approximately 45 miles to the Colorado River. In the higher elevations, the summers are milder, and the winters are colder and longer. Alamo Lake Mercury TMDL October 2012 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The drainage area consists essentially of broad desert valleys and irregularly distributed ranges of rugged mountains. On the Bill Williams River in western Arizona, we have had the opportunity to help design and monitor the effects of several high flow releases since the mid 1990’s. Unlike most rivers in Arizona, the Bill Williams runs east to west across the landscape. | Every acre we protect, every river mile restored, every species brought back from the brink, begins with you. Myers, J. The Alamo Basin has two distinct rainfall seasons: winter and summer, with a dry fall and a very dry late spring. The Department implemented an intensive sunfish mechanical removal effort in 2013-2014, and Green Sunfish are no longer present. Its watershed contains an area larger than the state of Connecticut. The Bill Williams River is a perennial stream, although subterranean in some reaches. © 2021 The Nature Conservancy quality, security, or size. 4) Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms: (1) the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Water Rights Settlement Agreement (Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Agreement) entered into by the Hualapai Tribe (Tribe), its members and allottees, the United States as trustee for the Tribe, the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary), the Arizona Department of Water … The longest segment is between Lincoln Ranch and Planet Ranch, a distance of approximately 23 river miles. The climate is typically desert in character over the lower elevations of the basin, with short, mild winters and long, hot summers. Their efforts culminated in the 1994 endorsement of a new approach to managing Alamo Dam and the issuance in 2003 of a new Water Control Manual by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the dam.