Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative

The Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative (SCWC) is a partnership launched in 2017 representing organizations and agencies working on water and watershed issues in the greater Tucson portion of the Santa Cruz River watershed. 

The first Santa Cruz River Watershed Forum was held on November 30, 2017, and was an all-day forum with more than 50 participants. The Collaborative has continued to hold semi-annual forums with participation from a range of community sectors and partners. 

Collaborative partners across multiple forums in 2017 and 2018 drafted and refined the following vision, mission, and shared goals. Agreement was reached through consensus of participants.

People working together to ensure a natural heritage of healthy urban watershed with flowing desert rivers and creeks in the Tucson metro area of the Santa Cruz River Watershed.

To collaboratively restore the hydrological and ecological function of our Sonoran Desert the watershed. By fostering cooperation, SCWC enables watershed leaders to make well-informed management and policy decisions.

• A one water system where surface water, groundwater, rainwater, stormwater, and recycled water are managed together to create a secure, healthy, regenerative, safe, and equitable water future.

• Holistic watershed management that restores perennial and intermittent flow, native riparian and xeri-riparian habitat and associated ecosystem services of rivers and streams to create a livable and resilient environment within our community.

• Alignment and strengthening of environmental education and recreation among our collaborative partners to improve professional and community connections to the watershed and access to natural spaces.

Explore the map below which highlights current flow status of our creeks and rivers and where existing restoration projects are located. Click on a feature to learn more.

• American Rivers
• Arizona Game and Fish
• Arizona Project WET
• ASARCO
• U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
• City of Tucson : Tucson Water Department, Tucson Department of Transportation
• Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection
• Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona
• Community Water Coalition of Southern Arizona
• Farmers Investment Co. (FICO)
• Friends of the Santa Cruz River
• Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace
• Metropolitan Water District
• National Park Service – Saguaro National Park
• Pima Association of Governments
• Pima County: Department of Environmental Quality, Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation, Office of Sustainability and Conservation, Regional Flood Control District
• Sky Island Alliance
• Sonoran Institute
• Tohono O’odham Nation, San Xavier District
• Town of Marana
• Tucson Audubon
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• U.S. Forest Service – Coronado National Forest, Catalina District
• University of Arizona, Water Resources Research Center
• Watershed Management Group

You’re invited to join one of our active working groups, participate in upcoming events, connect your work within this watershed-wide effort, share your ideas, join our e-announcements list, and contribute and benefit in many other ways.