The Quitowa Kito Springs near Mexico's border with the United States are a vital cultural oasis and home to two endangered species. Water flow from Kito Springs in Quitowa is now at an all-time low. Pictured: Sunset cast on the water at Kidowa Kito Springs at the Candelabra Palm National Monument on July 10, 2020. The pond's water level is at its lowest level in more than a decade, and it is full of bare mudflats. Photo by ASH PONDERS
In the driest part of Arizona, on a hill full of cacti, a miracle occurred: spring water. A steady stream of water gushes out of the ground, along the small river channel, and eventually converges into a pond. Pictured: Workers at Southwest Valley Construction Company pour concrete foundations for a boundary wall near Lucville, Arizona, in September 2019. Customs and Border Patrol previously estimated that for every 1 km of fence built in this area, 1.68 million litres of water would be used. More may be needed now. Photo by ASH PONDERS
This is the Quitowakitto Springs, one of the only reliable above-ground water sources in the Sonora Desert. The oasis has long provided water for the local indigenous tribe of Hia Ced O'odham, and human use and habitation records date back more than 10,000 years. It is also home to two endangered species not found elsewhere in the United States: the sand medaka and the Sonora mud turtle. Pictured: The sun rises over Kito Springs in Kidowa on February 14, 2020. Photo by ASH PONDERS
Now, candlesticks hold the Quitowa Kito Springs of the National Monument, a place that had been peaceful, in crisis. Water flow has been slowly declining since the 1980s, and since March this year, it has fallen by about 30%. The water level of the pond has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade, and there are bare mudflats everywhere. For endangered species living here, the situation is critical. Pictured: On July 10, just five months later, the water level of the pond dropped significantly. In the same week, the flow of spring water fell to an all-time low. Photo by ASH PONDERS
The endangered sand medaka lives only in the Quitowa Kito Springs and a small portion of mexico's Sonoita River. Michael Bogan, an aquatic ecologist at the University of Arizona, said: "The situation on both sides of the border is very urgent. ”
Photo by ASH PONDERS
The pond is located 61 meters from the U.S.-Mexico border. Not far away, the construction company has dug a 1.8-meter trench to erect the power grid. East of the Quitowa Kito Springs of the Candelabra Palm National Reserve and west of the Kabeza Prita National Wildlife Refuge, the border wall stretches for several kilometers. Pictured: The Quito Springs are the most important surface water source in the Sonora Desert, providing water and prey for birds such as the Nightingale in North America. Photo by ASH PONDERS
As the construction fortifications moved closer to the spring, many feared that construction workers would have to pump large amounts of groundwater to pour the concrete part of the boundary wall, which would exacerbate the decline in the groundwater table and dry up the spring. The spring water of Quitowa Kito Spring comes in part from the local aquifer, and agricultural development has pumped a lot of water from the aquifer. Pictured: An endangered Sonora mud turtle, also known as kinosternon sonoriense, emerges from shallow water to breathe air on July 10, 2020. Photo by ASH PONDERS
The boundary wall construction will use a lot of water, on the one hand, to prevent dust from flying, on the other hand, mixed with concrete as a foundation. In 2008, customs and border patrols built a section of the border wall a few kilometres east of Lucville; Pictured: A giant pillar cactus is reflected in a pond at Kidowa Kito Springs on February 15, 2020. In the Oham culture, this plant is sacred. Their calendar partly references the growth cycle of the giant pillar cactus, which also brought fruits and medicines to people.
When the water table drops to a certain extent, the spring water disappears. Scientists fear that this may be the fate of The Fountain of Quitowakito in the future. The Sonoita aquifer may have provided partial water for the Quitowakito springs, and for decades people have been pumping groundwater due to agricultural and livestock developments in the town of Sonoita and Sonora, Mexico, which has greatly affected this aquifer. Pictured: On July 10, 2020, the water level in the pond was much lower, in part due to the reduced flow of the spring water and the possible rupture of the impermeability layer of the pond. Photo by ASH PONDERS
Incredibly, the animals adapted to the harsh desert environment: in shallow water with almost no oxygen, about 38 degrees, sand medaka could survive for a while, but without spring water, they could not survive. Pictured: Footprints of turtles can be seen on the mudflats of The Pond in Quitowa Kito Spring, June 29, 2020. On July 15, the pond's water level fell to a low in more than a decade, and the spring water flow was at an all-time low. Photo by ASH PONDERS
Incredibly, the animals adapted to the harsh desert environment: in shallow water with almost no oxygen, about 38 degrees, sand medaka could survive for a while, but without spring water, they could not survive. Pictured: A new section of the boundary wall east of the Kito Springs in Quitowa. Throughout the Candelabra Palm National Reserve, construction work is accelerating. Photo by ASH PONDERS
Soon after, the upcoming monsoon rains will slightly replenish the pond's water. Meanwhile, the National Park Service is "working with other agencies to develop short-term strategies to maintain the habitat of sand medaka and sonora mud turtles and sustain their survival." Pictured: On July 10, 2020, a convoy of trucks rumbled through the entrance to the Kito Springs of Quitowa, dragging the beams of the boundary wall. The Ohams still hold ceremonies and pay homage to their children who die early next to this sacred spring. It was once a remote place and a calm place. Photo by ASH PONDERS