Watershed Restoration Plan
For the Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative Planning Area
Collaborative participants at the Spring 2019 Watershed Forum
The Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative (SCWC), formed in 2017, has a vision of people working together to ensure a healthy urban watershed with flowing rivers and streams.
To achieve the Collaborative’s goals and ensure the health of the Santa Cruz River watershed, SCWC is committed to fostering collaborative leadership and assisting its partners. This Plan provides a framework for restoring rivers and streams and associated riparian habitats while sustaining water supply for human communities.
The lands and waters of the Santa Cruz Watershed have been stewarded for thousands of years by the Hohokam and Sobaipuri people, and those of the Pascua Yaqui and Tohono O’odham people, whose relationship with their ancestral land continues to this day.
In this photo is the San Xavier Cooperative Farm, located on the Tohono O’odham reservation, which is working to renew traditional cultivation practices.
How is the Santa Cruz River watershed doing?
Tucson’s population grew from 10,000 to 700,000 over the 20th century. Increased groundwater pumping to support the urban population as well as industrial, recreational, agricultural, and mining activities, resulted in a significant lowering of groundwater levels throughout the area. This has resulted in the loss of many groundwater-supported riparian ecosystems, like The Great Mesquite Forest shown below.
Move the slider to compare the site of The Great Mesquite Forest in 1913 (left) and in 2002 (right). The pictures are from Martinez Hill looking south towards the Santa Rita Mountains. The Santa Cruz River supported by groundwater used to flow year-round here. Photo credits: USGS.
Move the slider to compare the estimated riparian forest coverage and river flow in the past on the left and their current state on the right. An estimated 80% of the riparian forest has been lost. Most significant is the loss of The Great Mesquite Forest in southwest Tucson.
There are numerous issues affecting watershed health. Some of them are depicted here. Click on each photo to explore more.
Contamination Plumes
Catastrophic Wildfires
Extreme Heat Vulnerability
Invasive Species
Historic Landfills Along Rivers
Human Disconnection from the Rivers
Arroyo Downcutting
Loss of Riparian Habitat
Mountain Upland Erosion
Groundwater Depletion
Climate Change
Polluted Stormwater & Trash
Floodplain Encroachment
Restoration Strategy Themes:
To address these challenges more than 60 partners and stakeholders of Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative came together in 2020 to identify more than 90 specific initiatives. These have been organized into four watershed restoration themes.
Theme 1: Restore Springs and Mountain Uplands
A tinaja, a depression formed in rock that stores water, upstream of Rincon Creek supporting critical species. Photo credit: Watershed Management Group
The adjoining map shows the springs and creeks of the mountain uplands. It also shows the extent of invasive species and wildfire.
The uplands surrounding Tucson receive and convey a substantial portion of the overall water supply. Strategies for upland restoration include:
- Water harvesting to enhance infiltration and reduce erosion
- Restoring fire regimes
- Removing invasive species
Theme 2: Replenish Shallow Groundwater Areas
Tanque Verde Creek now flows seasonally once again thanks to the use of reclaimed water instead of pumping groundwater at the 49ers golf course. Photo credit: Julius Schlosberg via WMG.
Shallow groundwater areas are the low-hanging fruits of watershed restoration, where groundwater is within 50 feet of the surface. The adjoining map shows the Tanque Verde shallow groundwater area along with registered wells, and location of reclaimed water pipelines in the area.
Identified strategies to increase resilience of these critical groundwater supported riparian areas include:
- Enhancing stormwater infiltration
- Expanding reclaimed water usage or recharge
- Preserving floodplains
- Reducing groundwater pumping stress
Theme 3: Integrate Urban Forests and Greenways
Community volunteers help to implement street-side rain basins with native plants and shade trees in the Flowing Wells Neighborhood. Photo credit: Watershed Management Group
Greenways are shared-use areas along undeveloped land, set aside for recreational use or environmental protection.
The adjoining map illustrates the distribution of tree canopy cover, and the contrast between affluent and underserved neighborhoods. Restoration strategies include:
- Enhancing Tucson's arroyos as greenways
- Stormwater management to support shade trees and reduce flooding
- Protecting and restoring floodplains
Theme 4: Connect Santa Cruz River Flows
The Santa Cruz River is a valued community amenity thanks to flows from recycled water and access through The Loop multi-use pathway. Photo credit: Pima County
The Santa Cruz River and its floodplain offers critical open space for neighboring communities. The adjoining map shows community resources like schools, libraries, current river flow status, and The Loop.
Strategies under this theme include:
- Connecting human communities to the Santa Cruz River
- Connecting wildlife corridors and habitat for native species along the river
- Connecting groundwater to sustain surface flows
Points of Progress
SCWC recognizes and celebrates the successes of our partners’ watershed stewardship efforts. Here are some points of progress highlights for each of the four watershed restoration themes.
Restoring Upland Habitats
Restoring Upland Habitats. Click to expand.
Restoring Springs and Mountain Uplands: Walnut trees were planted in Bear Canyon and at Spencer Canyon Campground to enhance riparian areas in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Project lead: Sky Island Alliance.
Fire Regime Restoration
Fire Regime Restoration. Click to expand.
Restoring Springs and Mountain Uplands: Ongoing work to restore the historic fire regime in National Park Service’s Saguaro Park East. Program lead: NPS.
Reclaimed Water use at 49ers Golf Course
Reclaimed Water use at 49ers Golf Course. Click to expand.
Replenishing Shallow Groundwater Areas: Increased groundwater levels and return of seasonal surface flows along Tanque Verde Creek after 49ers Golf Course switched to reclaimed water. Project Lead: Tucson Water.
Sutherland Creek Restoration
Sutherland Creek Restoration. Click to expand.
Replenishing Shallow Groundwater Areas: Implementation of one-rock dams for enhanced stormwater infiltration and erosion control along Sutherland Creek. Project Lead: Watershed Management Group.
Water Harvesting Collaborations
Water Harvesting Collaborations. Click to expand.
Integrating Urban Forests and Greenways: Students and community members helped to enhance Swan Wash using water harvesting practices. Project Lead: Changemaker High School with funding from Tucson Conserve2Enhance program and Pima County.
Green Infrastructure Program
Green Infrastructure Program. Click to expand.
Integrating Urban Forests and Greenways: The City of Tucson's Green Stormwater Infrastructure Program supports maintenance and construction of green infrastructure in public spaces with a priority to benefit underserved and chronic flooding areas of the City. Program Lead: City of Tucson
Canoa Ranch Restoration
Canoa Ranch Restoration. Click to expand.
Connecting Santa Cruz River Flows: Pima County restored ponds and wetlands to benefit wildlife habitat at Canoa Ranch. Project Lead: Pima County Natural Resources and Parks and Regional Flood Control District
Santa Cruz Heritage Project
Santa Cruz Heritage Project. Click to expand.
Connecting Santa Cruz River Flows: The Santa Cruz Heritage Project releases treated effluent to the Santa Cruz River to support aquatic habitat, provide recreational benefits, and recharge groundwater supplies. Project Lead: Tucson Water.
SCWC Priority Action Strategies
To achieve its goals, SCWC is committed to furthering the following five priority strategies which emerged from the stakeholder planning process. These strategies can be applied across the watershed and span across all four watershed restoration themes.
1. Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of Watershed Residents
SCWC will actively work to:
- recognize and include Indigenous ecological knowledge and stewardship roles of the Tohono O'odham and Pascua Yaqui peoples.
- be inclusive of minority or marginalized groups to encourage diverse perspectives.
- engage and support representatives from diverse and under-resourced but culturally rich communities to participate and present at SCWC watershed forums and working groups.
2. Advocate for Recharge to Revive Stream Flows
SCWC can advocate for recharge of CAP, stormwater, and treated effluent water resources to support flows and riparian ecosystems benefiting communities and wildlife.
SCWC supports existing in-stream effluent recharge projects along the Santa Cruz River and promotes additional in-stream recharge projects along river and creek corridors where riparian and community co-benefits can be realized.
3. Support Strategic Invasive Species Efforts
SCWC can support strategic invasive plant and animal collaborative strategies and investments among stakeholders across the watershed and across jurisdictional boundaries.
SCWC will encourage coordinated efforts to remove invasive species from the mountain uplands and around springs to downstream efforts along rivers and across urban communities.
4. Advance Watershed Recreation and Education Master Planning
SCWC can promote the development of a watershed-wide Recreation Master Plan and integration of educational programming to connect people to our riparian areas and conservation actions.
5. Expand Water Harvesting Practices
SCWC supports green stormwater infrastructure and water harvesting practices as tools to restore mountain springs, replenish shallow groundwater areas, establish and sustain urban forests, and reduce flooding and downstream transport of environmental pollutants.
Here are ways to learn more, and get involved in SCWC:
Download and read the full Watershed Restoration Plan yourself from SCWC website.
Link to a Google Doc containing the metadata for the map layers used in this StoryMap.
