Welcome to the Arizona Water Science Center
The Continuous Slope-Area Method
Providing 5-minute water-level data during floods in remote areas
Providing 5-minute water-level data during floods in remote areas
Arizona Water Science Center
Welcome to the U.S. Geological Survey Arizona Water Science Center. Our mission is to collect and interpret high quality, impartial scientific information to provide resource managers and the public with the knowledge required to understand and manage the critical water resources of Arizona and the Southwest.
National Water Dashboard
National Water Dashboard
National Water Dashboard - Arizona
Explore real-time streamflow, groundwater, and water-quality conditions in Arizona and across the nation.
Featured Science
Featured Science
The USGS has collected groundwater chemistry samples since 1981 in the Grand Canyon region to better understand changes in groundwater quality that may be the result of mining activities and to identify "hot spots" with elevated metal concentrations. This manuscript presents results for the assessment of uranium in groundwater in the Grand Canyon region.
News
USGS provides easy access to Colorado River science with new online portal
USGS provides easy access to Colorado River science with new online portal
Elevated Arsenic in Grand Canyon Region Groundwater Sites Likely from Natural Sources
Elevated Arsenic in Grand Canyon Region Groundwater Sites Likely from Natural Sources
New Online Maps for Exploring Groundwater Levels in Arizona
New Online Maps for Exploring Groundwater Levels in Arizona
Publications
Monitoring aquifer-storage change from artificial recharge with repeat microgravity along Santa Cruz River, Tucson, Arizona, 2019–22
The City of Tucson water utility, Tucson Water, began releasing treated effluent into the Santa Cruz River channel near downtown Tucson in 2019. This recharge project—the Heritage Project—is intended to create a reach of consistent flow in the channel and recharge water to the aquifer. Tracking the dispersal of recharged water is important for management decisions because groundwater movement depe
Water resources inventory of the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, southeastern Arizona
The Las Cienegas National Conservation Area was established by the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area Establishment Act of 1999 (Public Law 106–538) and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Located in southeastern Arizona, the conservation area contains more than 45,000 acres of rolling grassland, wetlands, and woodlands surrounded by isolated mountain ranges that are part of the Madr
Changes in sand storage in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park from July 2017 through June 2020
Changes in the quantity of sand stored within river segments can affect aquatic and riparian habitat, archeological resources, and recreation. Since summer to fall of 2002, gaging stations on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park and on its major tributaries and selected lesser tributaries have measured the mass of sand transported past each station, which allows for changes in the mass
Science
Human-Related Compounds in Water Sources in the Grand Canyon Help Identify Water Flow Pathways and Highlight Potential Water Quality Changes
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists investigated the movement of human-generated chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals and per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), in groundwater along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. This research led to a better understanding of the movement of wastewater into groundwater, of complex underground flow patterns, and of chemicals present in springs near...
Estimation of Dissolved-Solids Concentrations Using Continuous Water-Quality Monitoring and Regression Models at Four Sites in the Yuma Area, Arizona and California
The Colorado River is controlled by an extensive system of dams and canals diverting much of the water in the United States for agricultural and municipal uses. The Water Treaty of 1944 guarantees that 1.5 million acre-feet of Colorado River water is delivered to Mexico from the United States annually. Additionally, the water delivered must meet water-quality criteria as defined in Minute 242. The...
Southwest Gravity Program
The Southwest Gravity Program provides high-precision time-lapse gravity (repeat microgravity) data for hydrologic studies in the southwestern US. Recent projects include monitoring recharge underneath ephemeral-stream channels, monitoring aquifer-storage change in unconfined and compressible aquifers, measuring storage change at surface-spreading and injection-well artificial-recharge facilities...