Water Resources of Arizona

Photo of the Month

Don Bills works through the sand and mud on the shores of Lake Mead to measure the discharge of Monkey Cove Spring with a flume. The spring is located just to the west of Temple Bar and at normal lake elevations this large spring is under the waters of the lake. However, owing to the dry climate in the southwest for the last several years, dropping lake levels in Lake Mead have exposed the spring beginning in about 2002. Collecting information on the flow, water chemistry, and discharge source of this spring and others like it helps to develop a better understanding of these important spring resources before they are again covered by the lake.

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 October 2009 Close Click to view larger image

Historic Hydrologic Events in Arizona

Arizona Ground-Water Conditions Interactive Map

Arizona Water Science Center Highlights

Video showing Simulated Zones of Capture of Surface Water by Groundwater Pumping, upper part of the San Pedro Basin

USGS Hydrologists Stan Leake, Don Pool, and Jim Leenhouts used a groundwater flow model of the upper part of the San Pedro Basin in Arizona to produce capture maps (Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5207) to help managers understand the possible timing of effects groundwater pumping in the lower basin fill has on streams, springs, and evapotranspiration by riparian plants. Maps in the report for pumping times of 10 years and 50 years show patterns that reflect the fraction of pumping that is simulated to be a reduction of water available to the riparian system. For example, on the map for a withdrawal time of 10 years, a capture-fraction zone of 0.5-0.6 shows areas where capture or depletion of surface water and evapotranspiration will be 50-60 percent of the well pumping rate at that time. The accompanying video takes the analysis one step further by showing how some of these simulated capture zones evolve over a 100-year period of pumping. In this example, capture zones in ranges of 0.5-0.6, 0.6-0.7, 0.7-0.8, 0.8-0.9, and 0.9-1.0 are shown.

Video of Yuma Field Office staff demonstrating acoustic technology to members of Arizona Floodplain Managers Association on November 7, 2008

The USGS Yuma Field Office, which is headed by Hugh Darling, has a young and enthusiastic staff implementing new technology to improve the precision of data collected. The staff has embraced hydroacoustics using both Acoustic Doppler Velocity Meters (ADVM) and Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP). Nearly 100 percent of stream flow measurements made by the Yuma Field Office staff are made with acoustic instruments while using current meters as quality assurance. One of the most critical roles the Yuma Field office plays is the quantification of flow in the Colorado River, its tributaries, and diversions. This video shows the Yuma Field Office staff demonstrating acoustic technology to members of Arizona Floodplain Managers Association on November 7, 2008.

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

Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5195 Sediment Transport in the Bill Williams River and Turbidity in Lake Havasu During and Following Two High Releases from Alamo Dam, Arizona, in 2005 and 2006 by Stephen M. Wiele, Robert J. Hart, Hugh L. Darling, and Andrew B. Hautzinger

Open-File Report 2009-1196 Results of the Analyses for 1,4-Dioxane of Groundwater Samples Collected in the Tucson Airport Remediation Project Area, South—Central Arizona, 2006–2009 by Fred D Tillman

Open-File Report 2009-1148 Groundwater, Surface-Water, and Water-Chemistry Data, Black Mesa Area, Northeastern Arizona—2007–2008 by Jamie P. Macy

Techniques and Methods 4-F1 Excel® Spreadsheet Tools for Analyzing Groundwater Level Records and Displaying Information in ArcMap™ by Fred D Tillman

Fact Sheet 2009-3015 Southwest Principal Aquifers Regional Ground-Water Quality Assessment by D.W. Anning, S.A. Thiros, L.M. Bexfield, T.S. McKinney, and J.M. Green

Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5209 Methods and Indicators for Assessment of Regional Ground-Water Conditions in the Southwestern United States by Fred D Tillman, Stanley A. Leake, Marilyn E. Flynn, Jeffrey T. Cordova, Kurt T. Schonauer, and Jesse E. Dickinson

Open-File Report 2008-1324 Ground-Water, Surface-Water, and Water-Chemistry Data, Black Mesa Area, Northeastern Arizona—2006–07 by Margot Truini and J.P. Macy

Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5207 Simulated Effects of Ground-Water Withdrawals and Artificial Recharge on Discharge to Streams, Springs, and Riparian Vegetation in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed of the Upper San Pedro Basin, Southeastern Arizona by Stanley A. Leake, Donald R. Pool, and James M. Leenhouts

Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5189 Use of Superposition Models to Simulate Possible Depletion of Colorado River Water by Ground-Water Withdrawal by Stanley A. Leake, William Greer, Dennis Watt, and Paul Weghorst

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