Handy Water Conversion Factorsfrom WesternWaterLaw.com Did you know that 1 CFS will supply 646,300 gallons of water per day (enough for 4000-6500 people), or that 1 CFS for a year will provide 724 acre-feet (enough for about 3000 homes)?
Reconnaissance Watershed Analysis on the Upper and Middle Verde WatershedJune 30, 2002, Loyd O. Barnett and Richard H. Hawkins, School of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Arizona. An excellent study of the effect of watershed vegetation alterations on runoff and water delivery in the Verde River Basin.
Great Migrations: By Land, Air...and WaterA case for "swimways" in America's rivers that can facilitate migrating and spawning species past dams and diversions. Robert A. Hrabik, May 9, 2012, blogging on the Great River Partnership website. The Verde River is impacted by diversions that block passage of long-distance spawners, like the Colorado Pikeminnow. This short blog tells how we might correct this and allow better, safer recreational opportunities at the same time.
Hydrological Unit Map and HUC Codes for US Rivers. Map and listing of all HUC codes for US Rivers, along with the size (in square miles) of each HUC. In this scheme, The Lower Colorado is HUC 15, the Salt is HUC 1506, the Verde River is HUC 150602, the Upper Verde is HUC 15060201, the Middle Verde is HUC 15060202, and the Lower Verde is HUC 15060203. The Verde watershed contains 6590 square miles, or 4,217,600 acres.
Trading Water June, 2013 Phoenix Magazine by Tom Marcinko. This article details the cost of water and how it is affected and controlled by various market pressures. Very interesting reading!
Declining Water Sales and Utility Revenues: A Framework for Understanding and Adapting This white paper by the Alliance for Water Efficiency (August, 2013), explores the "conservation conundrum" and other challenges faced by water utilities today. Many utilities' revenues are in decline due to decreased sales which are in turn due to increased conservation.
Threats to Riparian Ecosystems in Western North America: An Analysis of Existoing Literature Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Boris Poff, et. al., 2011. An analysis of the many threats to riparian ecosystems, including groundwater depletion, cattle grazing, recreation, fire, land use changes, invasive species, dams, climate change, timber harvesting, water quality issues, water diversion and mining.
Understanding Arizona’s Riparian Areas George Zaimes, University of Arizona, Cooperative Extension Service, August, 2007. An examination of Arizona's riparian areas, including threats to those areas.
Conservation Priorities in the Colorado River Delta A comprehensive study by the Sonoran Institute, Environmental Defense Fund, University of Arizona, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Pronatura Sonora, and World Wildlife Fund.
The Value of Waterthe Value of Water Coalition's white paper on our deteriorating water infrastructure and why it's important to fix it! More info atthevalueofwater.org.
Roadmap for Considering Water for Arizona's Natural Areas (Full Document)University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, Dec. 2014, Mott-LaCroix et al. Executive SummaryThe Roadmap for Considering Water for Arizona’s Natural Areas contains information on the current scientific understanding of water for natural areas and existing legal considerations for providing water to natural areas, examples of where natural areas are already included in water management decisions, and an overview of available paths forward for including natural areas alongside human uses.
Using terrigenic 4He to identify and quantify regional groundwater discharge to streamsGardner et al, 28 June 2011. This promising new technique may help hydrologists understand the sources of flow in surface water systems, such as the Verde. USGS will be using this for the first time in the Verde in 2015. The Towns of Camp Verde, Clarkdale and Jerome and the City of Sedona are paying for this study.
Clean Water Rule: Definition of “Waters of the United States,” Final RuleThis is the final rule that redefines "Waters of the United States" effective July, 2015, actually 60 days after published in the Federal Register. The rule encompasses many waters that were formeraly not covered by a 404 permit.