Evaluation of stock water ponds Nogales Ranger District Coronado National Forest.

Abstract

A number of factors contribute to the importance of careful consideration in the placement of new stock ponds and the prioritization of cleaning or reconstruction of existing ponds. Various pond site and watershed characteristics were compared between non-functioning and functioning ponds in southeast Arizona. Development of a predictive model for pond-watershed relationships included analysis of the relationships associated with isohyetal and isothermic designations, using data readily available within the study area. There appear to be few differences in the materials used for dam construction, pond shape, estimated watershed Curve Numbers, mean number of days at capacity per year, or mean number of days dry per year. The differences are more apparent when considering pond depth, maximum capacity and percent of runoff captured. There is a strong correlation between pond volume and watershed area for functioning ponds, particularly in the broadleaf woodland vegetation type (r² = 0.99, n =11).