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.
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
Watershed Planning Tools
What you need to know about watershed planning in the Upper Gila: process, outcomes, and lessons learned.
Upper Gila State of the Watershed - 2017
An annual event that draws key players and new faces to the table, celebrates successes, and pinpoints areas that need work. 2017 marked the beginning of a new tradition in the watershed!
Shared history of the Upper Gila Watershed
Publications
May 25, 2017
A Guide for Landowners on the Upper Gila River
What activities or modifications are legally allowable on land adjacent to the Gila River? In too many cases, that question is met with conflicting responses and, sometimes, general puzzlement in communities that harbor stretches of the Upper Gila River in Graham and Greenlee Counties of Arizona. With simple answers to realistic questions, A Guide for Landowners on the Upper Gila River addresses common misunderstandings about what private landowners can and cannot do with their land adjacent to the river.
July 06, 2016
Wet Water and Paper Water in the Upper Gila River Watershed
As one of Arizona’s principal surface water systems, the Gila River has and will continue to be a valuable and highly sought after water source. The river, its tributaries, and underlying groundwater reserves have enabled a robust farming, ranching, and mining heritage, while providing a rich and diverse riparian landscape in an arid region. However, as much as these water resources have shaped the history of the watershed, a variety of legal, economic, and climatic uncertainties will undoubtedly – and potentially drastically – influence future water supplies. An understanding of the area’s...
January 01, 2016
Using Scenario Planning to Prepare for Uncertainty in Rural Watersheds
Planning for an uncertain future presents many challenges. Thinking systematically and creatively about what is in store through a process called scenario planning can help illuminate options for action and improve decision-making. This guide focuses on a process for developing scenarios to help communities and watershed groups explore what might happen in the years to come, make more informed decisions today, and build a watershed management process. The systematic approach to scenario planning described here is based on the lessons learned through a yearlong scenario planning process in the...