Squeals of delight can always be heard from eager students attending any of the numerous riparian field trips Arizona Project WET holds every year. Whether empowered with simple collection devices they’ve created themselves or armed with sophisticated water sampling technology, these intrepid students poke, prod, and ponder the unique mysteries only wetlands hold. In the process, they become keenly aware …
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Tempe Town Lake is Arizona’s second-most visited public attraction. More than 2.4 million people spend time at Town Lake each year. The more than 2-mile long lake was created by damming a portion of the dry Salt River and adding water. Today, the lake continues to act like a river to convey rainwater and snow run-off by lowering the dam …
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Some 4,000 years ago, ancestors of the Hohokam people settled at the base of (what is now known as) Tucson’s A Mountain on the banks of the Santa Cruz river. At that time, the river flowed year-round and supported lush woodlands of cottonwood, willow, and mesquite. These people created an extensive system of irrigation canals, supporting an agricultural society that lasted thousands of years. …
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A piece of sculpture at a public intersection was once considered public art. Things have changed. Public art has become more of an event, such as a community mural designed and painted through a partnership between an artist and neighbors. The City of Mesa has taken this idea to sophisticated levels. It is a city that knows how to pair artists …
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Welcome to a steamy July morning on the Agua Fria River near Cordes Junction, Arizona. Humid, heavy air hangs above young willows laid flat by recent heavy flows. We slop through thick, mocha colored mud to the mechanical whir of cicadas, and screams of nesting Zone-tailed Hawks. While searching for the threatened Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo (hereafter cuckoo), we encounter the …
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On September 30, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed into law the Colorado River Basin Project Act. Fifty years is a long time, especially to those who have lived that long, but to understand the impact of the Colorado River Basin Project Act, I actually think you need to look back even further to a story that began almost exactly …
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The upper Verde River originates in Yavapai County, near the town of Paulden, Arizona from a series of springs. It runs for more than 190 miles supporting a lush gallery forest consisting of dense groupings of cottonwoods and willows. The first 137 miles of the Verde River flow freely before reaching Horseshoe Reservoir. The heart of the river is the …
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Ten miles southwest of Flagstaff along Woody Mountain Road, out beyond the Arboretum, lies Rogers Lake. It’s a lake only ephemerally, during springs with heavy snow runoff. At these times, the lake also draws in waterfowl and eagles. More often, and especially this year, Rogers is grassy and wildflowery grazing land for cattle and elk. Coconino County owns more than …
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If you’re looking to Celebrate AZ Water in cooler temperatures, there is a fascinating area located in Kachina Village approximately nine miles south of Flagstaff in Northern Arizona. What is the Pumphouse County Natural Area? Pumphouse County Natural Area encompasses 125 acres and includes a spring-fed wetland and one of the rarest wildlife habitats in Arizona. This area forms the …
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The City of Goodyear, Arizona owns and operates the largest reverse osmosis (R/O) system dedicated to producing drinking water within Arizona. This system generates 4.5 million gallons per day (MGD) of R/O water. The downside to being able to produce this clean source of drinking water is that it also generates nearly 1.0 MGD of brine that is chemically impacting …
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Who owns water? What does the future of water look like in Arizona? Does water have a different meaning in Arizona than it does in other places? The answers to those questions are not easy and the details change depending on where you go across the state. Arizonans are invited to explore these issues at Water/Ways, a Smithsonian Museum on …
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The Salt River originates from the confluence of two tributaries (White and Black Rivers) in part of what is known as Arizona’s high country. The river flows about 100 miles through the middle of the state from east to west. The tributaries are created by a network of smaller headwater springs that are fed by snowmelt and flow through remote rugged …
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