Releases of reclaimed water into a stretch of the Santa Cruz River have been cut back by Tucson Water, about a week after they began.
On Monday, the utility reduced releases by about half of the original level, meaning the river was flowing north only to Cushing Street in the downtown area after having flowed as far north as Speedway late last week.
On Tuesday, the releases were boosted back to three-fourths of their original level, to try to get the river to flow no farther north than Congress Street. The flow starts at Silverlake Road, more than a mile south of Congress. The Santa Cruz runs south to north.
The release’s purposes include providing people with year-round river flows, increasing the long-dry river’s wildlife habitat, and improving Tucson Water’s ability to recover the water once it recharges into the aquifer.
City residents have endured a dry Santa Cruz since groundwater pumping removed its main source of flows back in the 1940s.
Tucson Water Director Tim Thomure, while pleased at the releases’ outcome, said he utility was experimenting with how far the flow would reach, and that its longer-term goal was to have it go no farther north than Congress.
If the flow consistently continues north of Congress, Tucson will have to modify one of its state permits allowing the releases, Thomure said.
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Tucson Water officials said they reduced releases this week due to agreements made with Pima County flood control officials in 2018 not to let the water go past Grant Road because of ongoing vegetation clearing work downstream of Grant. But they have since learned that this work is now complete, and this limit is no longer in place, utility spokesman Fernando Molina said.
Andy Dinauer, deputy flood control director, told the Star Tuesday that the county has no objections to the city’s ongoing releases and hasn’t asked that they be cut back.
Tucson Water will now monitor the river’s flow carefully, said Molina.
“So folks may see periodic changes in how far the water reaches downstream of Congress. This is so new. It’s a big science experiment for us,” he said. “We’re just trying to figure out how it all works.”
30+ historic photos of the Santa Cruz River through Tucson
Waterfalls on the Santa Cruz River in 1889 near Sentinel Peak in Tucson.
Arizona Historical Society
Girls in Santa Cruz River,1889-1890.
Arizona Historical Society
A bridge over the Santa Cruz River near Sentinel Peak in Tucson washed out during flooding in 1915.
Tucson Citizen file
Santa Cruz River at St. Mary's Road bridge in 1931.
UA Special Collections
The Santa Cruz River flows north as seen from Sentinel Peak in Tucson in the early 1900's.
Arizona Historical Society
El Convento along the Santa Cruz River, ca. 1910.
Arizona Historical Society
Flooding of the Santa Cruz River, Tucson, in September, 1926, from “Letters from Tucson, 1925-1927” by Ethel Stiffler.
Courtesy Roger E. Carpenter
Flooding of the Santa Cruz River, Tucson, in September, 1926, from “Letters from Tucson, 1925-1927” by Ethel Stiffler.
Courtesy Roger E. Carpenter
Aerial view of the Santa Cruz River as it winds its way through Pima County north of Cortaro Road in 1953. The county was considering a bridge at several locations, but had to contend with the ever-changing course of the river.
Tucson Citizen
The Tucson Citizen wrote in 1970, "The Santa Cruz River is a garbage dump" and "even marijuana grows in it." City leaders were pushing to upgrade and beautify the channel. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was studying the possibility.
The Santa Cruz River flowing under the Congress Street bridge in August, 1952. The Garden of Gesthemane is in the background.
Tucson Citizen
By July 24, 1970 the old bridge on West Congress over the Santa Cruz River had to go and be replaced by a new bridge.
Ross Humphreys / Tucson Citizen
By July 24, 1970 the figures from Felix Lucero's Last Supper had been on the west side of the Santa Cruz River for more than 20 years. City authorities had decided to leave it in place while a new bridge on West Congress Street was to be replaced.
Ross Humphreys / Tucson Citizen
Volunteers from the Tucson Jaycees and Junior Chamber of Commerce finish restoration of the statues and grounds of the Garden of Gethsemane along the Santa Cruz River in May, 1964. The statues were ravaged by vandals and weather. The city parks and recreation department worked with the volunteers. Artist Felix Lucero began sculpture project in 1938 and finished it nine years later.
Tucson Citizen
Drought in June, 1974, turned the Santa Cruz riverbed into crunchy chunks of dried mud.
The Santa Cruz River flowing under Silverlake Road in August, 1970.
Children play in the Santa Cruz River near Speedway Blvd in August, 1970.
The Santa Cruz riverbed at Congress Street in November, 1967.
Tucson Citizen
After years of waiting, crews began clearing debris and channeling the Santa Cruz River in November, 1977, and constructing what would become a 14-mile river park. The Speedway Blvd. bridge is in the background.
After years of waiting, crews began clearing debris and channeling the Santa Cruz River in November, 1977, and constructing what would become a 14-mile river park.
The Santa Cruz River looks peaceful flowing underneath Speedway Road after days of flooding in October, 1977.
Adalberto Ballesteros rides along the Santa Cruz River west of downtown Tucson in 1980.
The Santa Cruz River looking north from Valencia Road in July, 1974.
P.K. Weis / Tucson Citizen
Junked cars and trash spill into the Santa Cruz River, looking south, just south of Grant Road in July, 1974.
P.K. Weis / Tucson Citizen
Road graders scrape the Santa Cruz River channel between Speedway and Grant roads during bank stabilization construction in May, 1991.
Benjie Sanders / Arizona Daily Star
Water surges in the Santa Cruz River at the St. Mary’s Road bridge on Oct. 2, 1983.
Ron Medvescek / Arizona Daily Star
Flooding in Marana after the Santa Cruz River overflowed its banks in Oct. 1983.
Tucson Citizen file
A bridge on the Santa Cruz River northwest of Tucson washed out during flooding in October 1983.
Arizona Daily Star file
Residents watch the surging Santa Cruz River rush past West St. Mary's Road on January 19, 1993.
Rick Wiley / Tucson Citizen
Tucson firefighters are standing by and waiting for two kids floating in the Santa Cruz River on some type of object during flooding in July, 1996.
Benjie Sanders / Arizona Daily Star
As the Tucson Modern Streetcar rumbles across the Luis G. Gutierrez Bridge, water flows bank to bank along the Santa Cruz River after a morning monsoon storm on July 15, 2014.
Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star
Johnny Dearmore skips a rock in the Santa Cruz River as reclaimed water is released into the channel at 29th Street as part of the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project on June 24, 2019. The release of effluent is the city’s first effort to restore a fraction of the river’s flow since groundwater pumping dried it up in the 1940s.
Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
The Santa Cruz River flows Friday morning July 23, 2021 after an overnight monsoon storm passed over in Tucson, Ariz.
Mamta Popat, Arizona Daily Star
Betsy Grube, center, with Arizona Game and Fish Department, releases longfin dace fish into the Santa Cruz River at Starr Pass Boulevard on March 23, 2022, as Mark Hart, right, takes a video and Michael Bogan, a professor in aquatic ecology at the University of Arizona, picks up more fish to release. The 600 fish were captured from Cienega Creek in Vail.
Mamta Popat, Arizona Daily Star
Photos: Water runs in the Santa Cruz River
Santa Cruz River Project
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
Sunsets over the recycled water being pumped into the Santa Cruz River for the Heritage Project and under the bridge at Speedway Ave., Saturday, June 29, 2019, Tucson, Ariz.The water has flowed farther than expected, reaching a few hundred yards north of Speedway as of Saturday evening.
Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Project
Updated
Aug 20, 2019
A coyote takes a break from the heat north of St. Mary's Rd., using the cool mud from the recycled water being pumped into the Santa Cruz River for the Heritage Project, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Tucson, Ariz.
Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Project
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
A couple of weeds hang on just south of the Speedway Ave. Bridge despite the flow of recycled water cutting a channel in the Santa Cruz River bed, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Tucson, Ariz.
Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Project
Updated
Jul 29, 2019
A roadrunner hunts along the banks of the Santa Cruz River between St. Mary's and Speedway, taking advantage of the recycled water being pumped into the channel for the Heritage Project, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Tucson, Ariz.
Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Project
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
White wing dove ply the newly recharged Santa Cruz River north of St. Mary's Rd., attracted by the recycled water being pumped into the channel for the Heritage Project, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Tucson, Ariz.
Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
Damsel fly on the Santa Cruz River downstream from where effluent enters at 29th Street in Tucson.
Courtesy of Michael Bogan / University of Arizona
Santa Cruz River Project
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
A west bound street car cruises over the Cushing St. Bridge over a wide pool of the recycled water being pumped in the river channel as part of the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project, Tuesday, June 25, 2019, Tucson, Ariz.
Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
A roadrunner on the Santa Cruz River downstream from where effluent enters at 29th Street in Tucson.
Courtesy of Michael Bogan / University of Arizona
Santa Cruz River
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
Treated effluent flowing in the Santa Cruz River west of Tucson.
Courtesy of Michael Bogan / University of Arizona
Santa Cruz River Project
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
A tiny cascade over the dam just below the Cushing Street Bridge, well north of the expected reach of the recycled water being pumped into the Santa Cruz River for the Heritage Project, Tuesday, June 25, 2019, Tucson, Ariz.
Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Project
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
People come to the west bank of the Santa Cruz river between Cushing and Congress just before sunset to get a look at the recycled water flowing through the usually dry channel as the flow heads north beyond the expected reach of the River Heritage Project, Tuesday, June 25, 2019, Tucson, Ariz.
Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Project
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
The new flow of the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project with recycled water gives Karina Ruiz a chance to work on her throwing arm, tossing rocks into the channel during a walk with her nanny, Tuesday, June 25, 2019, Tucson, Ariz. The family lives in the Mercado District and ride bikes though the area. "The water flowing is something we'll be able to appreciate regularly," said dad Jeremy Ruiz.
Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Project
Updated
Dec 17, 2020
A little plant pokes through a berm temporarily blocking the the flow of recycle water being used to recharge the normally dry Santa Cruz as the flow reaches well north of expected reach of the River Heritage Project, Tuesday, June 25, 2019, Tucson, Ariz.
Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Heritage Project
Updated
May 17, 2022
Johnny Dearmore skips a rock in the Santa Cruz River as reclaimed water is released into the channel at 29th Street as part of the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project on June 24, 2019. The release of effluent is the city’s first effort to restore a fraction of the river’s flow since groundwater pumping dried it up in the 1940s.
Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Heritage Project
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
Ruben Moreno, right, and other members of Mariachi Luz de Luna lead city officials and guests towards the Santa Cruz River at 29th Street as part of the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project ceremony on June 24, 2019. The release of effluent is the city’s first effort to restore a fraction of the river’s flow since groundwater pumping dried it up in the 1940s.
Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Heritage Project
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
Reclaimed water starts to fill an area in the Santa Cruz River at 29th Street as part of the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project on June 24, 2019. The release of effluent is the city’s first effort to restore a fraction of the river’s flow since groundwater pumping dried it up in the 1940s.
Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Heritage Project
Updated
Jul 3, 2019
Reclaimed water starts to fill an area in the Santa Cruz River at 29th Street as part of the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project on June 24, 2019. The release of effluent is the city’s first effort to restore a fraction of the river’s flow since groundwater pumping dried it up in the 1940s.
Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Heritage Project
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
A crowd of people stand at an area where reclaimed water starts to fill the Santa Cruz River at 29th Street as part of the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project on June 24, 2019. The release of effluent is the city’s first effort to restore a fraction of the river’s flow since groundwater pumping dried it up in the 1940s.
Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Heritage Project
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
A man sits with his feet in an area where reclaimed water starts to fill the Santa Cruz River at 29th Street as part of the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project on June 24, 2019. The release of effluent is the city’s first effort to restore a fraction of the river’s flow since groundwater pumping dried it up in the 1940s.
Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River Heritage Project
Updated
Aug 27, 2019
Reclaimed water starts to fill an area in the Santa Cruz River at 29th Street as part of the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project on June 24, 2019. The release of effluent is the city’s first effort to restore a fraction of the river’s flow since groundwater pumping dried it up in the 1940s.
Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
Santa Cruz River
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
Treated effluent enters the Santa Cruz River at 29th Street in Tucson.
Courtesy of Michael Bogan / University of Arizona
Santa Cruz River
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
Treated effluent enters the Santa Cruz River at 29th Street in Tucson.
Courtesy of Michael Bogan / University of Arizona
Santa Cruz River
Updated
Jul 2, 2019
Dragon fly on the Santa Cruz River downstream from where effluent enters at 29th Street in Tucson.
Courtesy of Michael Bogan / University of Arizona