Arizona Water Science Center
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Welcome to the U.S. Geological Survey Arizona Water Science Center. Our mission is to collect and interpret high quality, impartial scientific information to provide resource managers and the public with the knowledge required to understand and manage the critical water resources of Arizona and the Southwest.
Featured Science
Changes in the amount of water stored in underground aquifers cause small changes in Earth’s gravitational field. Scientists measure these small changes to map changes in groundwater storage and to improve models that simulate groundwater flow.
Learn MoreNews
USGS Prepares to Measure Flooding Across Arizona
Reporters: Do you want to accompany a USGS field crew as they measure flooding? Please contact Jennifer LaVista or Jim Leenhouts
Levels of Possible Human Carcinogen Declining in Most Wells in Tucson International Airport Superfund Site
Levels of a potential human carcinogen, 1,4-dioxane, have mostly declined in wells in the commercial and residential areas of the Tucson International Airport Area Superfund Site during 2002-2017, according to a new map published by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Uranium in Spring Water North of Grand Canyon Likely Not Related to Nearby Mining Activity
Uranium levels in Pigeon Spring, just north of the Grand Canyon, are likely due to a natural source of uranium and not related to the nearby former Pigeon Mine, according to a recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Publications
Conceptualizing ecological responses to dam removal: If you remove it, what's to come?
One of the desired outcomes of dam decommissioning and removal is the recovery of aquatic and riparian ecosystems. To investigate this common objective, we synthesized information from empirical studies and ecological theory into conceptual models that depict key physical and biological links driving ecological responses to removing dams. We...
Bellmore, J. Ryan; Pess, George R.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; O'Connor, Jim E.; East, Amy E.; Foley, Melissa M.; Wilcox, Andrew C.; Major, Jon J.; Shafroth, Patrick B.; Morley, Sarah A.; Magirl, Christopher S.; Anderson, Chauncey W.; Evans, James E.; Torgersen, Christian E.; Craig, Laura S.
Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona—2015–2016
The Navajo (N) aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in the Black Mesa area because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of the arid climate....
Mason, Jon P.; Macy, Jamie P. Filtering of cyclic period infiltration in a layered vadose zone: 1. Approximation of damping and time lags
Infiltration and downward percolation of water in the vadose zone are important processes that can define the availability of water resources. We present an approach that provides insight into how periodic infiltration forcings at the land surface filter in a layered vadose zone in terms of changes in the timing and magnitude of hydrologic...
Dickinson, Jesse E.; Ferre, T.P.A