A new liner is needed for Quitobaquito Pond at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument/NPS file

Installation of a new liner for the Quitobaquito Pond in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona will require that the road leading to the pond and surrounding area will be closed for four weeks.

The work to replace the leaking liner is scheduled to start April 11, and conclude by May 6. Completing the work safely will require a Temporary Closure Order of the Quitobaquito site as well as the access road to it from the junction of South Puerto Blanco and North Puerto Blanco Drives.

In recent years, the previous liner has started to fail. As continued spring flow declines are projected, stopping further leakage is necessary to ensure sustainable pond levels for the survival of the endangered Sonoyta Mud Turtle and the Quitobaquito (Desert) Pupfish, a park release said. Replacing the old liner will stabilize the pond by stopping leakage and improve habitat for species that rely on this precious water source. Streamflow reductions, increased sedimentation in the pond, and vegetation incursions have also contributed to seasonal pond level reductions and several extreme pond drying events.

The project is funded in part through donations, including a $100,000 donation coordinated by the International Sonoran Desert Alliance (ISDA). The National Park Service is funding the balance of the project.

“This project is necessary to protect aquatic habitat that is vitally important to the conservation of Endangered and other wildlife species,” said Danny Martin, park wildlife program manager “We anticipate the reconstructed pond to be more resilient to more frequent and severe droughts, higher temperatures, and decreased spring flow in the coming decades.”

Quitobaquito is an oasis in the desert; a sacred site to many whose ancestors have called this place home for generations. Humans have lived on and passed through this area for at least 12,000 years. The area around Quitobaquito is associated with a prehistoric trade route known as the Old Salt Trail. The route was used to obtain salt, obsidian, seashells, and other commodities from the salt beds on the Gulf of California coast in Sonora, Mexico. O’odham people have lived here for thousands of years, and contemporary members continue to use this sacred site.

Other groups assisting the NPS with this project include U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Arizona Game & Fish Department, University of Arizona, Tohono O’odham Nation, ISDA, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

For some additional insights on Quitobaquito Springs and pond, check out this video from 2017: