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Sustainable Water Management in the Southwestern United States: Reality or Rhetoric? (July 2010)

Published in PLoS ONE, this study used four scenarios to explore the potential effects of alternative growth and water management strategies on river flows. Under the base population projection, we found that rivers in seven of the 18 study watersheds could be dewatered due to municipal demand. Our approach provides a low-cost method to identify where alternative water and growth management strategies may have the most impact, and demonstrates that such strategies can maintain a continued water supply for both people and the environment.

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San Pedro River Wet-Dry Maps (February 2010)

The San Pedro River wet/dry mapping dataset is a community effort to track the river’s health by monitoring the persistence of surface water during the driest time of each year. It is created by recording the end points of every wet section of the San Pedro River during June each year. Maps depict the wet portion of the San Pedro River.

• 2009 Wet-Dry Maps (updated 2/24/2010)
• 2008 Wet-Dry Maps (updated 8/26/2008)
• 2007 Wet-Dry Maps (updated 4/14/2008)

Integrating science and policy for water management (April 2009)

This chapter, from Ecology and Conservation of the San Pedro River (edited by J. Stromberg and B. Tellman), provides an in-depth treatment of the collaborative effort of scientists, agency representatives, non-governmental organizations, elected officials, and other stakeholders and the role of adaptive management in addressing water policy and management issues in the Sierra Vista subwatershed of the upper San Pedro River.

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San Pedro River Watershed Maps (October 2008)

Series of 4 map exhibits illustrating conservation-related data on the status of this internationally-recognized desert river and riparian corridor. Maps include both the U.S. and Mexico portions of the San Pedro watershed depicting the following themes: Conservation Investments; Riparian Ecological Condition; Current and Formerly Perennial Stream Reaches; and a Water Budget.

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Participatory Learning on the San Pedro River: Designing the Crystal Ball Together (July 2006)

Published in the July/August 2006 issue of Southwest Hydrology, this paper outlines the key building blocks for sustainable water management in the upper San Pedro River. It describes the role of the public–private consortium - the Upper San Pedro Partnership, the development of information and scientific tools to help answer key questions and identify tradeoffs in water management alternatives, and the importance of cooperation, collaboration and commitment of scientists, stakeholders and elected officials.

Interbasin Groundwater Flow at the Benson Narrows, Arizona (March 2005)

Describes research indicating groundwater is moving through the floodplain alluvial aquifer at Three Links Farm, and that most of this water originates from the Upper San Pedro River Basin. Published in March/April 2005 issue of Southwest Hydrology.

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The Lower San Pedro River—Hydrology and Flow Restoration for Biodiversity Conservation (May 2004)

Describes The Nature Conservancy’s flow management approach to increasing water supply for riparian vegetation, based largely on results from hydrologic analyses indicating that retiring agricultural pumping at key locations increases water availability for riparian vegetation. Paper presented at USFS conference, May 11-15, 2004.

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