Water Resources of Arizona

Photo of the Month

A view of giant saguaro cacti in Catalina State Park, located just north of Tucson in the Coronado National Forest. Pusch Ridge, one of the most prominent features of the Santa Catalina Mountains, towers in the background.

Arizona Water Science Center Portals

Real-Time Streamflow Data Portal
Access real-time streamflow data using an interactive map!

Hydrologic Conditions

Drought Conditions for Selected Basins

The USGS, in cooperation with the Governor's Drought Task Force, has developed a series of maps showing drought intensity for selected drainage basins in Arizona. To view historical maps, learn how the maps are developed, and download images, visit our drought page.

Drought conditions for August 2008 Close Click to view larger image

Historic Hydrologic Events in Arizona

Arizona Ground-Water Conditions Interactive Map

Arizona Water Science Center Highlights

Video of Havasu Canyon after August 17th high-flow event

The video describes observations made by AzWSC scientists on the recent high-flow event that occurred around August 17th, in Havasu Canyon on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, northern Arizona. The Havasupai Indian Tribe lives in the remote Havasu Canyon, a tributary canyon to Grand Canyon National Park, and is only accessible by foot, horseback, or helicopter. The high-flow event caused massive erosion below the village of Supai, resulting in the creation of new water falls and the cessation of Navajo Falls. AzWSC scientists made assessments of the high-flow event on August 28th and 29th, and made an indirect measurement of the peak flow that passed through the village of Supai. A preliminary calculation of the peak flow is 6,000 cubic feet per second. (August 29, 2008 — narrated by Greg Fisk and Steve Wiele)

Recent Publications

Fact Sheet 2008-3076 Dissolved Solids in Basin-Fill Aquifers and Streams in the Southwestern United States—Executive Summary by David W. Anning

Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5275 Ground-Water Storage Change and Land Subsidence in Tucson Basin and Avra Valley, Southeastern Arizona, 1998–2002 by Donald R. Pool and Mark T. Anderson

Open-File Report 2008-1273 Hydrologic Data from the Study of Acidic Contamination in the Miami Wash—Pinal Creek Area, Arizona, Water Years 1997–2004 by A.D. Konieczki, J.G. Brown, and J.T.C. Parker

Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5113 Update of the Accounting Surface Along the Lower Colorado River by Stephen M. Wiele, Stanley A. Leake, Sandra J. Owen-Joyce, and Emmet H. McGuire

Open-File Report 2008-1098 Bathymetric Survey and Storage Capacity of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona by N. J. Hornewer and M. E. Flynn

Professional Paper 1703 Ground-Water Recharge in the Arid and Semiarid Southwestern United States Edited by D. A. Stonestrom, J. Constantz, Ty P.A. Ferré, and S. A. Leake

Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5182 Ground-Water Occurrence and Movement, 2006, and Water-Level Changes in the Detrital, Hualapai, and Sacramento Valley Basins, Mohave County, Arizona by D.W. Anning, M. Truini, M.E. Flynn, and W.H. Remick

Open-File Report 2007-1436 An Online Interactive Map Service for Displaying Ground-Water Conditions in Arizona by F.D. Tillman, S.A. Leake, M.E. Flynn, J.T. Cordova, and K.T. Schonauer

Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5222 Hydrogeology of the Coconino Plateau and Adjacent Areas, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona by D.J. Bills, M.E. Flynn, and S.A. Monroe

Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5190 Land Subsidence and Aquifer-System Compaction in the Tucson Active Management Area, South-Central Arizona, 1987–2005 by R.L. Carruth, D.R. Pool, and C.E. Anderson