Arizona Watersheds - Federal Materials

The State of Arizona is home to many watersheds, including areas such as the Little Colorado Watershed, the Verde Watershed, and the San Pedro Watershed. Watersheds are areas of land where surface water and groundwater drain into a body of water like a stream, river, or lake. Watersheds play an important role in the relationship between land, water, and communities because water quality is impacted by how watersheds are used.

In Arizona, drought has long been a concern for communities, so in the 1950s, a research study known as the Barr Report was conducted on the conditions of watershed lands in Northern Arizona. In the report, George Barr, founder of the University of Arizona's Department of Agricultural Economics, and his team confirmed that Arizona watersheds were in a critical condition. Barr recommended establishing a program to explore opportunities for increasing the flow of water from watersheds to reservoirs.

As a result, the Arizona Watershed Program, a joint initiative between the State Land Department, the Arizona Water Resources Committee, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, the University of Arizona, and other partners, was established in the 1960s. The program was the focus of watershed research in Arizona through the 1980s. Today, numerous groups across the State of Arizona, including the government, watershed groups, water resources groups, and universities continue to work together to manage, conserve, and research Arizona’s watersheds.

This federal collection of materials includes reports, environmental assessments, rapid watershed assessments, and conference proceedings about the State of Arizona’s watersheds.  

Federal publications are printed by the authority of Congress or by executive or judicial agencies at taxpayer expense and are distributed to federal agencies, their clientele and to depository libraries which serve the public. The State of Arizona Research Library is the Regional Federal Depository Library for Arizona.

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