Working for a Resilient Future: Upper Gila Watershed
People working together In the face of uncertain physically and legally available water supplies, how do we:
Provide reliable long-term water supplies for a resilient community;
Preserve the ability for the watershed to produce food, fiber, and minerals;
Maintain the rural lifestyle; and Sustain and enhance the health of the Upper Gila River Watershed
Where does the water go?
Groundwater resources are precious in the Upper Gila Watershed and surface water is highly regulated. Agriculture accounts for nearly 90% of water demand in the Watershed. However, return flows from agriculture back into the system are not as well-known.
A Patchwork of landownership
In the Arizona stretches of the Upper Gila River, only 10% of the watershed is privately owned and concentrated along the river corridor.
High degree of uncertainty
Looking out 30 years, Gila Valley could face a deficit of -31,000 Acre Feet (AF) of water in a worst-
Resilient partnerships
For the watershed project on Brawley Ranch, Gila Watershed Partnership worked with Graham County and the BLM to put 56 wire and rock gabions along a 15-mile stretch of road to control erosion and washouts. In 2013, the BLM donated 30,000 tons of rock for maintenance.
Watershed Planning Tools
What you need to know about watershed planning in the Upper Gila: process, outcomes, and lessons learned.
Watershed Assessment
A repository of information about the natural, water, and cultural resources of the Upper Gila River Watershed
Alternate Futures
Exploring how decisions made TODAY impact the future of people, businesses, and nature into the FUTURE
Shared history of the Upper Gila Watershed
