On Wednesday, September 28, Central Arizona Project (CAP) representatives hosted a roundtable for state water users to discuss the proposed CAP conservation incentive program. Earlier this year, the CAP board said they would “work with stakeholders to develop a conservation incentive program that is consistent with [CAP] legal authority.” This roundtable provided an opportunity for stakeholders to share ideas and provide information so CAP can develop an effective program.
September 02, 2022
ADWR Provides Water Maps and Data
The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has recently announced public information resources are now available on a section of its public website devoted to maps and data. Some are new, and others have been available for a while. Eight maps are interactive, which means that either clicking on the map or using the search function will bring up information on the map topic. The map on Community Water Systems (CWS) identifies the water provider for a map location or address, shows the boundaries of its service area, and lists other data about the provider. It also shows the location of the providers’ wells, both active and inactive. Another map gives access to information about the Assured Water Supply status of a development or municipal water provider in the same way.
Maps relating to groundwater include maps on groundwater rights, registered groundwater wells, and Groundwater Site Inventory (GWSI) wells, which are wells that provide ADWR with data they use for water modeling and other functions. The rights map contains information on the type, size, location, and ownership of individual groundwater rights, which may be useful for buyers and sellers of such rights. The map of registered wells can be used to find all the registered wells within a defined area or a specified radius of a specific location. A property owner, for example, can find out about what wells are nearby. GWSI wells are the source of field-verified data, regarding wells and springs, collected by personnel from ADWR's Hydrology Division's Field Services Section, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other co-operating agencies. Tabulated GWSI data are available for download.
There are also interactive maps relating to Arizona’s General Stream Adjudications with location dots for claims that have been filed and the delineation by ADWR of ‘subflow zones’ for the San Pedro and Verde Rivers. Wells that draw water from subflow zones are part of the stream adjudications (judicial processes to determine all rights to water from the Gila and Little Colorado Rivers and their tributaries). There is also an interactive map for the Arizona Water Banking Authority that shows where and how the bank has stored water underground.
An additional collection of maps is available for download in PDF format. For example, a series of maps show groundwater level change 1993-2013, and another map shows water logging in the Buckeye area. There is also a link to a group of maps showing areas of land subsidence and earth fissuring. Both subsidence (sinking of the land surface) and fissuring (cracks opening) can be caused by groundwater extraction that lowers the water table.
The maps are accompanied by data useful for people who work with GIS (geographic information systems) for data analysis and visualization.
ADWR Interactive Maps & Data
Recent News
September 30, 2022
CAP Water Users Roundtable on Proposed Conservation Incentive Program
September 23, 2022
Dr. Valerisa Gaddy Named 2022 MIT Solve Fellow
WRRC post-doctoral researcher Valerisa Gaddy has been selected as an MIT Solve Fellow for 2022-2023. Her tech-based solution, "IRRIGaTE: Irrigation Resources Reaching Indigenous Growers and Tribal Entities” addresses the difficulties of science and policy communication between Tribal farmers and non-tribal policymakers through a multimedia platform.
September 16, 2022
Thousands in Phoenix Living without Running Water
The Arizona Republic newspaper last Sunday drew on a recent report about plumbing poverty for a feature article on the subject. The report, co-authored by Kings College London professor and UArizona alum Katie Meehan, looked in depth at urban plumbing poverty in the United States. Meehan received her PhD from the UArizona Department of Geography and Development in 2010 and began her study of plumbing poverty while in Arizona.
September 16, 2022
Photo Journal: A Visit to the Upper Colorado River Basin
Last week, WRRC staff member Jessie Hampton visited family in rural southwestern Colorado. She stayed along Cebolla Creek, which flows down to meet the Gunnison River in Blue Mesa Reservoir, one of three reservoirs that make up the Curecanti Unit of the Colorado River Storage Project. Local ranchers use their water rights on Cebolla Creek to irrigate hay meadows. Jessie took photos of places she visited on her trip to showcase different types of water usage and management in the area.
September 08, 2022
Colorado River Days Flagstaff Launches September 2nd - 12th
Northern Arizona is celebrating Colorado River Days! Colorado River Days Flagstaff is a series of educational events to remind Flagstaff and surrounding communities about the importance of the Colorado River and all it has to offer