Beyond Arizona’s vast deserts are a rich network of rivers, tributaries and streams that fuel our economy, environment and daily life. We work alongside communities to safeguard and restore these vital freshwater systems, from the San Pedro to the Verde to the Colorado River, which provide critical drinking water and habitat for migrating birds and wildlife.
How Water is Used
Arizona may be known for cacti and coyotes, not freshwater fish. Yet, our rivers, streams, springs and wetlands support life in many forms, from birds and bats that migrate across continents, to fish and frogs that swim in the clear waters, to reptiles that bask on the banks. Resident and migratory birds and pollinating insects also rely on Arizona’s riparian corridor.
Freshwater resources are essential to the people of Arizona. Water is used to grow our food, fuel our economy and sustain daily life. Nearly 20% of our water supply comes from in-state rivers including the Salt and Verde Rivers that serve the Phoenix Metro Area. More than 40% of our water supply is groundwater, which is critical for supplying baseflow in rivers and streams, producing springs and seeps, and supporting wetlands.
The Nature Conservancy collaborates with partners and communities to restore and conserve these freshwater systems, using science-based solutions and innovative approaches. With collaboration, planning and investment in our water resources, we can ensure future generations will walk along Arizona’s rivers, streams and springs and enjoy the lush habitat and diverse wildlife for years to come.
Importance of Freshwater Conservation
The watersheds in which we work are critical habitats for plants, animals, and communities. Our work is as diverse as each area’s inhabitants. And you thought Arizona was nothing but desert!
Verde River Watershed
We focus this community-based program on ensuring healthy river habitat in the Verde and its many tributaries by:
- Modernizing agricultural infrastructure.
- Protecting the aquifers that feed the river.
- Applying science and monitoring to assess changes and adapt to the future.
- Collaborating with Indigenous and other communities to improve water supply systems.
- Working with Verde NRCD and Friends of Verde River.
San Pedro River Watershed
We devote substantial resources to directly protecting these lands and waters while also leveraging key partnerships by:
- Applying creative uses of stormwater and effluent to maintain water levels in the river.
- Rehabilitation of Steward lands to conserve and enhance riparian habitats and Cienega’s.
- Utilizing science and monitoring through annual events like our 25 years of wet-dry mapping to assess changes and adapt to the future.
- Collaborating with CCRN, Sentinel Landscapes and SPRNCA.
Colorado River
We collaborate closely with the Colorado River Program on this critical area by:
- Coordinating policy work.
- Developing shared project ideas.
- Participating in stakeholder conversations and planning efforts.
- Engaging in water supply assessments and planning at the state and Colorado River Basin level.
Watch the video on the incredible wildlife of the Colorado River Basin.
Sonoita Creek
We manage the 873-acre Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve and improve watershed conditions by:
- Enhancing perennial flows of the creek through integrated water management planning.
- Managing visitation for approximately 15,000 people annually.
- Collaborating with conservation partners for increased wildlife connectivity.
- Engaging industry and communities in creating a comprehensive statewide mining strategy to minimize and mitigate environmental impacts while meeting future energy needs.
- Working with neighbors and partners on invasive plant removal, restoration treatments and training opportunities.
Hassayampa
We collaborate with Maricopa County’s Parks and Recreation Department as co-owner and manager of 780 acres of land and support the watershed by:
- Building supportive communities
- Engaging in science and technical support for Hassayampa River Preserve.
- Improving management, protection and maintenance of conservation values by maintaining fencing along river corridor and railroad crossing.
- Exploring opportunities in nearby areas to utilize integrated water management planning to optimize effluent and stormwater resources and reduce groundwater pumping impacts to preserve baseflows.
- Correcting multiple boundary issues through potential land transactions and donated property.
Our Water Goals
We envision healthy streams, rivers and springs across Arizona. Healthy waterways have streamside habitat with native trees, wildlife and clean waters. We can’t do it alone. We’re collaborators. We get our hands dirty, alongside our land and water stewards from all corners of our state to implement hands-on, grassroots efforts.
But we don’t just stop there. We’re advocates for change, crafting - and advocating for transformation—through supportive policies at local, state and federal levels to ensure our vision reaches far and wide.
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Stormwater Management
We use wastewater and rainwater to recharge the groundwater, which helps the local communities in many ways. It improves the water quality, lowers the need for pumping groundwater, and reduces the risk of floods.
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Rural Community Water Infrastructure
We work with rural communities to plan and improve their water infrastructure. We help them increase the amount of groundwater recharge, reuse water, and lessen the effects of pumping groundwater.
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Irrigation Water Management
We engage with farmers, universities, and agricultural groups to get funding and support for improving irrigation systems and practices. We help them use water more efficiently and grow crops that require less water.
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Watershed Improvement and Protection
We restore the land and waterways that are damaged or dry to increase the groundwater recharge, water storage, and natural floodplains. We also support the natural areas that depend on our freshwater resources.
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Critical Lands Protection
We manage lands through legal agreements, or conservation easements, to prevent over-pumping of groundwater or changes in habitat. We identify and protect the areas that are important for the groundwater and the wildlife.
Collaborative Impact
We care about the places and the people where we work and live. We use our own experiences to align our conservation work with the needs and values of the local people and communities.
Working With Agriculture
For more than a decade, we have worked with growers, universities and agricultural interest groups to understand, improve and modernize aging infrastructure, which requires securing state and federal funding and garnering significant support from corporations. These efforts include:
- Collaborating with surface ditch water managers to optimize conveyance efficiency.
- Implementing projects designed to improve on-farm irrigation structure.
- Engaging with groundwater users in the Verde Valley, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, and others to research low-water crops and sustainable practices.
- Implementing irrigation water management as a co-benefit of conservation easements.
- Protecting and restoring springs and native grasslands.
Supporting Rural Communities
Helping to enhance the water infrastructure of rural communities is critical and we engage in several key initiatives to reduce groundwater use, increase surface water flows and improve water quality. These efforts include:
- Integrated, statewide water management planning.
- Managed aquifer recharge.
- Regional water planning.
- Stormwater management.
Our partners are also hard at work. The Cochise Conservation and Recharge Network (CCRN) is working on projects that put more water back into the ground near streams to keep the water level high. In the Upper and Lower Verde Watersheds, rural communities are also looking for ways to use rainwater and treated wastewater to recharge the underground water.
Ensuring Watershed Health
We are working on multiple areas for an issue critical to Arizona and the Southwest. More flexible water management strategies and collaboration across organizations will help us ensure clean, healthy water supplies.
Some of our main goals include:
- Accelerating habitat restoration.
- Building on watershed protection efforts.
- Initiating voluntary landowner agreements to protect sensitive areas.
Providing Water to Cities
Our river systems across the Southwest provide a valuable resource for communities across Arizona. It is an important resource for our cities. We work closely with the states aligned with the Colorado River system. Closer to home, we are:
- Working to increase long-term water supplies for urban communities.
- Reviewing conservation systems at Lake Mead.
- Identifying ways to improve watershed conditions at Munds Draw.
Shaping Policy
Working with policy-makers on actions that not only help landowners, but strengthen outdated regulations on water resources. Some of these policies include unrestricted groundwater pumping in rural areas, limited land use planning, and surface water diversion without adjudication to manage water use.
Our policy work aims to increase our impact beyond our project boundaries by focusing on:
- Reducing project barriers.
- Increasing funding opportunities.
- Reducing the impacts of groundwater pumping.
There are many resources to learn more about water policy and water management in Arizona – a few to visit are Arizona State University’s Arizona Water Blueprint and the Arizona Department of Water Resources Water Facts.
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