Water Availability and Use

Tucson Water’s Santa Cruz River Heritage Project releases up to 3,150 acre-feet a year of reclaimed water into the Santa Cruz River channel near downtown Tucson, AZ, much of which is expected to recharge to the subsurface through the channel bottom. Tracking the movement of recharged water is necessary to limit the dispersal of that water within specific target boundaries, and to enable resource...

The Big Chino Subbasin is a groundwater basin that includes the Verde River headwaters in Yavapai County in north-central Arizona. Groundwater in the Big Chino Valley discharges to wells (by pumping), by evapotranspiration, and to the upper Verde River springs, which form the headwaters of the Verde River. Groundwater also discharges to short perennial reaches of Williamson Valley Wash, Walnut...

The Arizona Water Science Center is monitoring aquifer-storage changes at an artificial recharge facility operated by Tucson Water in southeast Tucson. Aquifer-storage change is monitored by measuring changes in gravity over time at the same network of benchmarks. As water is added or removed from the aquifer, there is a change in mass and a corresponding measurable change in gravity.

The City of Phoenix has traditionally relied on surface-water supplies from the Salt, Verde, and Colorado River watersheds. To increase water-supply resiliency and flexibility, the City is expanding its Artificial Storage and Recovery (ASR) operations in the north Phoenix area. USGS is measuring small changes in gravity caused by groundwater-storage changes to better understand where and when...

Since 1950, the AzWSC has estimated water use by county at 5-year intervals, publishing the results in a series of reports since 1981. Water demand is met by pumping groundwater from aquifers or by conveying surface water to users through a system of reservoirs and canals. Because of the importance of water to Arizona’s communities and future economic development, the AzWSC works cooperatively...

Many communities along the U.S.-Mexico border have limited surface water supply and rely on transboundary aquifers for industry, agriculture, and drinking water; however, information on water needs, water quality, and the extent and functioning of these aquifers is incomplete. The Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP), established through a binational agreement between the United States...

The Arizona Water Use program collects and estimates annual water withdrawals for the categories of irrigation, municipal, mining, thermoelectric-power, and drainage uses. The data for these categories are compiled for the Arizona Department of Water Resources groundwater basins outside of Active Management Areas.