Lower Santa Cruz River Basin Study
The grant application for the Lower Santa Cruz River Basin Study (LSCRBS) was submitted in 2015 on behalf of the Southern Arizona Water Users Association in conjunction with the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the Pima Association of Governments, the Cortaro-Marana Irrigation District and the University of Arizona.
The study was awarded and officially began in February, 2016. The study area includes the entirety of the Tucson Active Management Area (TAMA).
Although groundwater levels have rebounded in many parts of the TAMA through the increased use and storage of renewable supplies, certain growth assumptions and reduced CAP supply availability modeled as part of this study have highlighted areas subject to localized groundwater level decline. This poses a risk to local supply availability as well as the environment (e.g. land subsidence and loss of riparian vegetation). Key mitigation and adaptation strategies emerging from this study involve investing in infrastructure to move available water resources to the areas exhibiting the greatest aquifer impact.
The study will conclude in September, 2021.
