Photo by Bert Duet
Follow us 
DATA CENTER
Arizona Weather Radar
ABOUT THE Arizona WSC
USGS IN YOUR STATE
USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.
|
Water Resources of Arizona
Welcome to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Web page for the water resources of Arizona; this is your direct link to all kinds of water-resource information. Here you'll find information on Arizona's rivers and streams. You'll also find information about groundwater, water quality, and many other topics.
|
Spatial and Seasonal Variability of Base Flow in the Verde Valley, Central Arizona, 2007 and 2011
Scientific Investigations Report 2012�92
By Bradley D. Garner and Donald J. Bills
Abstract
Synoptic base-flow surveys were conducted on streams in the Verde Valley, central Arizona, in June 2007 and February 2011 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Verde River Basin Partnership, the Town of Clarkdale, and Yavapai County. These surveys, also known as seepage runs, measured streamflow under base-flow conditions at many locations over a short period of time. Surveys were conducted on a segment of the Verde River that flows through the Verde Valley, between USGS streamflow-gaging stations 09504000 and 09506000, a distance of 51 river miles. Data from the surveys were used to investigate the dominant controls on Verde River base flow, spatial variability in gaining and losing reaches, and the effects that human alterations have on base flow in the surface-water system. The most prominent human alterations in the Verde Valley are dozens of surface-water diversions from streams, including gravity-fed ditch diversions along the Verde River.
Base flow that entered the Verde River from the tributary streams of Oak Creek, Beaver Creek, and West Clear Creek was found to be a major source of base flow in the Verde River. Groundwater discharge directly into the Verde River near these three confluences also was an important contributor of base flow to the Verde River, particularly near the confluence with Beaver Creek. An examination of individual reaches of the Verde River in the Verde Valley found three reaches (largely unaffected by ditch diversions) exhibiting a similar pattern: a small net groundwater discharge in February 2011 (12 cubic feet per second or less) and a small net streamflow loss in June 2007 (11 cubic feet per second or less). Two reaches heavily affected by ditch diversions were difficult to interpret because of the large number of confounding human factors. Possible lower and upper bounds of net groundwater flux were calculated for all reaches, including those heavily affected by ditches.
|
|
|
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
September 2012
Click to view larger image
|
|
Arizona Water Science Center Highlights
 AzWSC hydrologist Fred Tillman is interviewed on NPR about groundwater levels in Arizona.
(For more information, see USGS SIR 2011-5071, Water Availability and Use Pilot: Methods Development for a Regional Assessment of Groundwater Availability, Southwest Alluvial Basins, Arizona)
Microgravity Measurement for Groundwater Analysis
A video discussing the Gravity Meters used at the USGS Arizona Water Science Center.
Seepage Investigation: Clear Creek and Little Colorado River
The USGS Arizona Water Science Center performed a seepage investigation on reaches of Chevelon Creek, Clear Creek, and a reach of the Little Colorado River during the fall of 2010. The investigation is in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Navajo Region and is part of a larger program that monitors the Coconino Aquifer in Northeastern Arizona. The video describes the process of a seepage investigation. In the video, USGS hydrologists and hydrographers measure discharge and water-quality parameters on Clear Creek and the Little Colorado River to better understand and characterize the Coconino Aquifer.
USGS CoreCast—Streamgages: The Silent Superhero
Whether you drink water from your tap, use electricity or canoe down your local river, chances are you benefit from USGS streamgage information. So what is a streamgage and what does it do for you? This CoreCast episode gives you the inside scoop on your silent superhero.
USGS Streamflow Measurement at Pinto Creek near Miami, Arizona — January 28, 2010
USGS streamgagers, Mike Sanders, Arthur Rees, and Mike Schilling, are servicing the Pinto Creek near Miami, Arizona streamflow-gaging station (09498502) and making a streamflow measurement on January 28, 2010. Flow was measured to be 207 cubic feet per second (CFS) on the 28th but peaked earlier on the 22nd at an estimated 7,400 cfs. Debris from the flood flow can be seen in trees and on the over bank areas.
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 17, 2008 high-flow event
The video describes observations made by AzWSC scientists on the high-flow event that occurred around August 17, 2008, 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, 2008, 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
 Open-File Report 2012�03
Biotic, Water-Quality, and Hydrologic Metrics Calculated for the Analysis of Temporal Trends in National Water Quality Assessment Program Data in the Western United States
by Stephen M. Wiele, Anne M.D. Brasher, Matthew P. Miller, Jason T. May, and Kurt D. Carpen |
Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5201
Aquifer Test at Well SMW-1 near Moenkopi, Arizona
by Robert L. Carruth and Donald J. Bills |
Open-File Report 2012�06
Evaluation of Simulations to Understand Effects of Groundwater Development and Artificial Recharge on Surface Water and Riparian Vegetation, Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona
by Stanley A. Leake and Bruce Gungle |
Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5192
Spatial and Seasonal Variability of Base Flow in the Verde Valley, Central Arizona, 2007 and 2011
by Bradley D. Garner and Donald J. Bills |
Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5065
Predicted Nitrate and Arsenic Concentrations in Basin-Fill Aquifers of the Southwestern United States
by David W. Anning, Angela P. Paul, Tim S. McKinney, Jena M. Huntington, Laura M. Bexfield, and Susan A. Thiros |
Scientific Investigations Report 2012�80
Characterization of Subsurface Geologic Structure for Potential Water Resources near the Villages of Moenkopi, Arizona, 2009-2010
by Jamie P. Macy |
Open-File Report 2012-1102
Groundwater, Surface-Water, and Water-Chemistry Data, Black Mesa Area, Northeastern Arizona—2010–2011
by Jamie P. Macy, Christopher R. Brown, and Jessica R. Anderson |
Scientific Investigations Report 2012�60
Characterization of the Highway 95 Fault in Lower Fortymile Wash using Electrical and Electromagnetic Methods, Nye County, Nevada
by Jamie P. Macy, Levi Kryder, and Jamieson Walker |
Open-File Report 2012-1018
Depth of Cinder Deposits and Water-Storage Capacity at Cinder Lake, Coconino County, Arizona
by Jamie P. Macy, Lee Amoroso, Jeff Kennedy, and Joel Unema |
Open-File Report 2011-1287
Gravity Data from the San Pedro River Basin, Cochise County, Arizona
by Jeffrey R. Kennedy and Daniel Winester |
Fact Sheet 2010-3097
The Border Environmental Health Initiative桰nvestigating the Transboundary Santa Cruz Watershed
by Laura M. Norman, James Callegary, Charles van Riper III, and Floyd Gray |
Open-File Report 2011-1198
Groundwater, Surface-Water, and Water-Chemistry Data, Black Mesa Area, Northeastern Arizona—2009–10
by Jamie P. Macy and Christopher R. Brown |
|
|
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
