Future Water Demand In Southeastern Arizona The Focus Of Study

By Sara Hammond
Published: Thursday, July 16, 2015 - 12:58pm
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(Photo courtesy of Arizona Public Media)
Aerial view of the Santa Cruz River.

A federal grant will fund a study aimed at finding ways to meet future water demands for the lower Santa Cruz River basin in southeastern Arizona.

The basin study will evaluate current and future water supply and demand imbalances. It will identify resources needed to mitigate climate change impacts and improve water reliability for municipal, agricultural and environmental uses.

The lower Santa Cruz River basin extends from Green Valley north through metropolitan Tucson and into southern Pinal County, an area with a population of nearly 1 million people. The Santa Cruz is a tributary of the Colorado River, a major river system in the Bureau of Reclamation’s service area.

Since 1993, the Tucson region has been depending on Colorado River water delivered by the Central Arizona Project to recharge groundwater supplies and for direct use. Southeastern Arizona is projected to experience groundwater supply deficits by 2025.

The Bureau of Reclamation will contribute nearly $400,000 for the study, with a match from the Southern Arizona Water Users Association, a consortium of municipal water providers, wastewater treatment organizations and agricultural water users. Other regional organizations also will contribute.

The water users association sought the grant to continue its efforts to plan for and invest in the area’s water resources, said Warren Tenney, the group’s president.

The Bureau of Reclamation will be responsible for conducting the three-year effort, which will use existing data and the bureau’s technical expertise in water resources and climate change impacts, Tenney said.

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