{"id":11142,"date":"2022-03-08t16:00:55","date_gmt":"2022-03-08t16:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/hope-flows-through-the-heart-of-tucson-the-santa-cruz-river-heritage-project\/"},"modified":"2022-03-08t16:00:55","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08t16:00:55","slug":"hope-flows-through-the-heart-of-tucson-the-santa-cruz-river-heritage-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/hope-flows-through-the-heart-of-tucson-the-santa-cruz-river-heritage-project\/","title":{"rendered":"hope flows through the heart of tucson: the santa cruz river heritage project"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cthey found the water so quickly, more quickly than i could have imagined,\u201d dr. michael bogan expressed in disbelief. on june 24, 2019, dr. bogan, stream ecologist at the university of arizona, marveled at the water flowing from the outflow pipe into the dry riverbed of the santa cruz. within hours<\/a> of the water\u2019s release, dragonflies from across tucson came and found the water.<\/p>\n the rebirth of the santa cruz river<\/a> in tucson, arizona is an ecological miracle. the santa cruz river flowed year-round until human intervention dried its banks more than 110 years ago. recently, the city of tucson decided to pump water back into the river. <\/p>\n after only two years of consistent flow, the river has bloomed to support <\/a>dozens of mammal, amphibian, and insect species, 135 bird species, 149 plant species, and one very special endangered minnow. <\/p>\n the growing interest in the river has sparked reconnection with tucson’s heritage. the city is expressing renewed interest in native ecosystems, sustainable gardening, and water conservation.<\/p>\n the southwestern united states is entering its 22nd year of a megadrought<\/a>, making water resources more valuable and more scarce than ever before. lawmakers, scientists, agencies, and governments alike face the challenge of finding innovations to use the smallest amounts of water for the greatest total benefit. a solution to this major challenge flows through the heart of tucson. <\/p>\n water conservation in the desert <\/strong><\/p>\n in 2001, arizona received its first delivery of colorado river water through the central arizona project<\/a> canals, allowing the city to move toward more sustainable water use<\/a> by using less groundwater and investing in stormwater. in 2013, wastewater treatment plants began releasing reclaimed water into the santa cruz north of the city as a groundwater reclamation project.<\/p>\n reclaimed water is a way to recycle the water<\/a> that comes out of a city as sewage. water treatment plants clean the water with chemicals and release it so it can soak back into the ground to recharge as groundwater. <\/p>\n the water in the santa cruz is cleaned further by natural processes and eventually soaks into tucson\u2019s aquifer. the city of tucson says that groundwater recharge with reclaimed water is a safeguard for drought<\/a> for tucson. it\u2019s a water bank for times of need.<\/p>\n in 2016, the director of tucson water<\/a>, tim thomure, pitched a new project \u2013\u2013 expanding the existing santa cruz recharge effort. he wanted another pipe to release reclaimed water in the heart of downtown tucson.<\/p>\n the idea came to life three years later as the santa cruz river heritage project<\/a>.<\/p>\n sciences elevate the river\u2019s health<\/strong><\/p>\n the dragonflies weren\u2019t the only surprise attendees at the \u201copening day\u201d of the heritage project. organizers projected the event to be tiny; it was barely even advertised. there was one small tent with one crate of water bottles. more than 300 people \u2013\u2013 and a mariachi band \u2013\u2013 came to celebrate water returning to the river.<\/p>\n \u201cit\u2019s a trickle of water really, but such a small amount of water has created such enormous change,\u201d bogan told me.<\/p>\n he wasn\u2019t kidding; the santa cruz outflows about 1,500 gallons per minute as of 2022. for comparison, the mississippi outflows around 266,159,000 gallons per minute<\/a>.<\/p>\n bogan and his team do continuous monitoring<\/a> through species counts, species abundance surveys, and remote monitoring, which provide resources to the city of tucson to keep it healthy and prosperous. almost in disbelief, he said that, \u201cafter only 2 years of continuous flow, we\u2019re seeing an incredible amount of biodiversity.\u201d the rapid recovery of the santa cruz river is a beacon of hope to ecologists and citizens alike.<\/p>\n it seems to me that the santa cruz river has had a certifiable field of dreams moment \u2013\u2013 with michael bogan as ray kinsella. except, in our desert narrative, the iconic line goes, “if you water it, they will come.”<\/p>\n the cultural significance of the heritage reach<\/strong><\/p>\n the base of sentinel peak (known more often as \u201ca-mountain\u201d) has been sustaining life for over 4,000 years, making it one of the oldest sites<\/a> of continuous agricultural activity in the country. the tohono o\u2019odham<\/a> and their ancestors, the hohokam, have been stewarding the land for uncountable generations. <\/p>\n in 1910, businessmen drilled 20 wells<\/a> at the base of sentinel peak, drying up the river completely in just five years. deprived of water, the trees that stood sentinel along the banks of the santa cruz for hundreds of years perished. for 100 years, the santa cruz has been dry and forgotten, its once-raging waters are now caged in a narrow channel of concrete. it remains as a dry scar on the landscape, like an artery with no blood to pump. <\/p>\n the heritage project chose the new pipe location based on the rich history. but why is the return of water to the santa cruz called the \u201cheritage project\u201d and not the \u201crecharge project\u201d?<\/p>\n