Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC)

River Restoration: Arizona's Oft Neglected Waterways Get Overdue Attention

Urbanization, channelization, ground-water depletion, irrigated agriculture, and a variety of other activities have significiantly affected many of Arizona's rivers. This 12-page Arroyo issue looks at many river restoration and enhancement projects in Arizona and the issues, partnerships, benefits and water sources characterizing each effort.

Projects to Enhance Arizona�s Environment

Projects To Enhance AZ's Environment PDF (1.3 Mb)

Projects To Enhance AZ's Environment PDF (12.4 Mb)

In Arizona, many once lush riparian areas have been lost. This decline has not gone unnoticed, and in the past decade a growing number of efforts have been undertaken to restore, maintain or create new riparian and wetland areas. The number of riparian restoration projects nationwide has also increased, growing exponentially in the last decade. Along side this explosion of restoration projects, the interest of the scientific community and the public at large has also grown significantly. Scientists have conducted many studies examining various aspects of environmental enhancement projects. Considerable research and debate have surrounded defining and measuring restoration areas, and the value of “created” habitat. Other research has focused on identifying the common elements of restoration projects, such as the work by Bernhart, et al. who are compiling a comprehensive database of restoration efforts throughout the United States.
In this report, we provide complementary information to these studies in the form of
a descriptive look at 0 environmental enhancement projects throughout the State of Arizona.
The report examines the more subjective aspects of environmental enhancement projects. At
the outset of the project we sought to answer a series of questions: Who are the key players in
the implementation of environmental enhancement projects and what factors drive the project’s
undertaking? What are the benefits of these projects? How are these projects using scarce water
resources? Do they have legal claim to these water sources? And how long will supplementary
water be required? Along with answers to these questions, we sought lessons learned both through
the specific projects and from the wider lens of the 30 projects taken as a whole.

Water Conservation Banking: Municipal Water Conservation to Support Environmental Enhancement

Funded by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation,
Assistance Agreement Number 04-FG-32-0270 with The University of Arizona

In the Southwest United States attempts to improve the health and habitat value of riparian areas
have focused on environmental restoration and preservation activities. In this predominantly
arid region, many environmental enhancement activities require supplemental irrigation water.
Identifying available water sources and raising funds to secure water supplies can be a barrier to
the implementation or continuation of environmental enhancement activities. Few mechanisms
currently exist to address this need for environmental water supplies.
In this report, we present the concept of a Water Conservation Banking program. Water
Conservation Banking refers to voluntary municipal water conservation programs designed to
increase water efficiency and generate revenue to support environmental enhancement activities.
This report presents a study of the feasibility of such a program. Key issues in the development
of a municipal water conservation program aimed at providing water for the environment were
investigated and analyzed.

Some Ideas on Water

Opinion piece in the Arizona Daily Star

Evolution and Evaluation of the Active Management Area Management Plans

More than half-way into the 45-year period for meeting the goals of the Arizona Groundwater Management Act (GMA), the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) will be developing the fourth of five management plans for each of the Active Management Areas (AMAs), as mandated by the Act. In each of the AMAs, tremendous effort by ADWR staff, those regulated by ADWR and other water stakeholders is devoted to the development of the management plans. This report provides an examination of the intended functions/purposes of the management plans relative to legislative intent, an evaluation of the management plan provisions to date from the perspective of ADWR staff and the regulated community, an assessment of the effectiveness of the management plans in meeting their goals, and suggestions of what stakeholders would like to see in future management plans. It concludes with several key recommendations based on the implications of the study results. This project will assist ADWR as it moves forward with the development of the Fourth Management Plans. This evaluation provides a foundation for change in the approach and content of the final two management plans.