PROJECT ABSTRACT
Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
(Cooperative Agreement # H1200-04-0002)
Park: Aztec Ruins National Monument
Project Title: Hydrology Study and Mitigation Plan for Aztec Ruins National Monument
Funding Amount: $15,000.00
CPCESU Partner Institution: Fort Lewis College
Principal Investigator (name, title, address, telephone, FAX, email): Dr. Scott White,
Associate Professor of Geography, Dept. of Geophysics, Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim
Drive, Durango, CO 81301-3999, phone 970-247-7475, fax 970-247-6053,
White_S@fortlewis.edu
Co-Investigator (name, title, address, telephone, FAX, email): Colleen Filippone,
Intermountain Region—Southwest Hydrologist, National Park Service, 7660 East
Broadway Blvd., Suite , Tucson, AZ 85710, phone 520-546-1607 ext 3#, fax 520-5467601, colleen_filippone@nps.gov
NPS Key Official (name, title, address, telephone, FAX, email): Gary Brown, Chief of
Cultural Resources, Aztec Ruins National Monument, 84 County Road 2900, Aztec, NM,
87410, phone 505-334-6174 ext 35, fax 505-334-6372, gary_brown@nps.gov
Start Date: September 29, 2007
End Date: October 30, 2008
Abstract:
This multi-year hydrology project is providing data to identify sources of water impacting
the major ancestral Pueblo ruins group at Aztec Ruins National Monument (AZRU) and
will recommend mitigation measures for protection of ruins from continued deterioration.
Data from mapping of a subsurface clay layer and monitoring of climate, surface water,
and groundwater have been collected and will be integrated to determine water sources
and migration patterns at the site. A geographical information system digital elevation
model basemap and GIS coverages relating to hydrogeological and cultural features are
in process. The present phase is oriented geophysical mapping of subsurface hydrologic
features to better depict water migration from modern irrigation features and other
sources into the ruins.
Keywords: Hydrology; cultural resources; ruins preservation; geographic
information systems