The San Pedro River is one of the last free-flowing rivers in the Southwest.
It’s home to a number of endangered species, but it faces threats from groundwater pumping from Fort Huachuca and surrounding areas.
Conservationists sued the agencies to force them to come up with an environmental plan that will protect the river.
Last week, a federal judge rejected a plan by the U.S. Army and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the San Pedro.
“They refuse to obey the law," said Robin Silver, a co-founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, "which says that you can’t jeopardize endangered species. The
San Pedro River is in jeopardy, it’s drying up, and consequently the endangered species that depend on it, are threatened with extinction.”
He says it’s the fourth time in 20 years that courts have ruled against the fort’s environmental plan.
