WRRC Webinar Features the Santa Cruz River
On Thursday, September 4, 2025, Luke Cole presented a WRRC Water Webinar, titled “The Santa Cruz: A River of Transition and Hope.” Dr. Cole, who is the Director of the Santa Cruz River Program at the Sonoran Institute, paid tribute to the Santa Cruz River, which has provided life-sustaining water for 12,000 years. Today, many stretches of the river are dry in areas where the bedrock is hundreds of feet deep; however, efforts are helping to refresh the flow of the Santa Cruz River in the Tucson area.
Through the Santa Cruz Heritage Project, which Tucson Water started in 2016 with the support of stakeholders and community members, highly treated reclaimed water is released into the river near Silverbell Road. The renewed river flows now support a biodiverse riparian area near downtown Tucson, and the Sonoran Institute’s fish surveys have found evidence of the reemergence of native fish species within these flows.
During his presentation, Cole outlined the Sonoran Institute’s work with researchers and field scientists to monitor the river’s water quality. The Institute’s English/Spanish bilingual annual report, A Living River/Un Rio Vivo, provides information to citizens, policymakers, and educators, and covers river conditions on two sections of the Santa Cruz: Downtown Tucson to Marana, which includes the flowing reaches of the Heritage Project, and Nogales Wash to Amado, which highlights recent achievements along the river in the border region.
Pima County’s Living River of Words, an educational program based on science and the arts, works with schools within the county, allowing students to experience the river system, sketch river scenes, and journal about it. Programs like this one aim to help younger generations discover an appreciation for the Santa Cruz River and promote a deeper understanding and connection to the world around them. The Sonoran Institute is also currently holding its annual Santa Cruz River Dragonfly Festival, with a whole month of events geared toward all ages to celebrate the Santa Cruz and its fascinating dragonflies.
Register now for the next WRRC Water Webinar, An Overview and Update on Arizona’s General Stream Adjudications, which will be held on September 16, 2025.