Use these resources to learn all you need to know to take action for Arizona's rivers! To learn even more, check out our WRAN Factsheets and Water In the News pages.

Monitoring our Rivers and Water:

• National Integrated Drought Information System - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Arizona Drought Contingency Planning Website - Arizona Department of Water Resources
• Arizona Drought Contingency Plan Discussion - Central Arizona Project
• Colorado River Interactive Dashboard - Arizona Department of Water Resources
• Watershed Connection - Salt River Project
• Colorado Basin River Forecast Center - National Weather Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Colorado River System Projections
  • Water Supply Forecast Briefings
  • Monthly Precipitation Maps
  • Monthly Temperature maps
• Bureau of Reclamation
  • Lower Colorado River Operations
  • Colorado River System 5-Year Projected Future Conditions
• Guide to Colorado River Hydrology Sources
• Arizona WaterWatch Mobile App - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

Audubon Water Blog:

• Audubon’s Top Priorities for the Arizona Legislature in 2023 (en español). January, 2023.
• As Water Levels Plummeted to Historic Lows across the West in 2022, Urgency for Audubon to Protect People and birds (En español). December, 2022.
• The Colorado River Compact at 100. November, 2022.
• Restoration Efforts in the Colorado River Delta are Working (en español). October, 2022.
• The Clean Water Act at 50 and What it Means for Birds. October, 2022.
• Why is the Colorado River in crisis, and what is being done about it? October, 2022.
• How to Negotiate for Peace, Resilience, and Environment on the Colorado River. September, 2022.
• What the Inflation Reduction Act Means for Water in the West. August, 2022.
• Feds Predictably Declare Record Shortage on the Colorado River. August, 2022. (en español)
• How We Might Address the Water Crisis for the Colorado River and Birds in the West. July, 2022.
• Grand Canyon’s Ecosystem at Risk with Colorado River Crisis.  July, 2022.
• Ring the Alarm: Today’s Water Crisis Isn’t a Fire Drill. June, 2022.
• John Oliver Tackles the Colorado River on HBO’s Last Week Tonight. June, 2022.
• Historic Investments in Water, Bipartisan Budget Deal Close Out the 2022 Arizona Legislative Session–But No Progress on Rural Groundwater Management. June, 2022.
• New Dire Colorado River Warnings from the Federal Government. June, 2022.
• Water for the Colorado River Delta in a Dry Year. May, 2022.
• Federal Water Legislation Poised to Benefit Birds and People. May, 2022.
• Stumbling Toward “Day Zero” on the Colorado River. April, 2022.
• Building a Resilient Arizona by Investing in the State’s Natural Resources (en español). April, 2022
• Federal Funding Provides Some Wins for Water Conservation and Birds in the West. April, 2022.
• Why We Need an Arizona Water Security Plan, Now (en español). February, 2022.
• Audubon Discusses Western Water and More With Secretary of the Interior. February, 2022.
• Investing in Arizona’s Water will Improve Outlook for People and Birds.  January, 2022.
• Amid a Drought Crisis, Inspiration from Our Work in Western Water for Birds and People. December, 2021.
• Infrastructure Bill will Help Address Declining Water Levels and Drought in the West. November, 2021.
• Bringing the Issue of Declining Groundwater to the Surface. October, 2021.
• Audubon's Jennifer Pitt Testifies before U.S. Senate on Drought and Climate Change. October, 2021.
• We Need More Voices Calling for Change in Arizona. October, 2021.
• Amid a Drought Crisis, the Colorado River Delta Sprang to Life This Summer. Audubon Magazine. October, 2021.
• The West Urgently Needs Federal Funds to Address Drought, Wildfire, and Climate Change. September, 2021.
• Audubon: Arizona Communities Should be Able to Protect their Groundwater Resources.  September, 2021.
• The Entire Colorado River Basin is in Crisis. September, 2021.
• Drought? This Is What Climate Change Looks like in the West. August, 2021.
• U.S. Government Declares Water Delivery Reductions to Southwestern States as Climate Change Devastates Colorado River. August, 2021.
• Federal Action Needed to Address Disastrous Drought, Wildfires, and Ecosystem Degradation in the West. July, 2021.
• The Age of Aridification on the Mighty Colorado River. July, 2021.
• The Entire Colorado River Basin is in Crisis. July, 2021.
• The Momentary Reprieve of Rain on the Rio Grande. July, 2021.
• Arizona Legislative Session Results in Funding for Audubon Priorities. July, 2021.
• Colorado River Water flows across U.S.-Mexico border through historic cooperation. May, 2021.
• Reconnecting the Colorado River to the Sea. May, 2021.
• Arizona Passes Law that Partially Protects Some Rivers Left Behind from Federal Clean Water Act Rollbacks. May, 2021.
• Experimental High Spring Flows in the Grand Canyon. May, 2021.
• Over 150,000 Acres of Critical Habitat Designated for the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo in Arizona. May, 2021.
• Critical Habitat Finally Designated for Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo.  April, 2021.
• Planting along the Colorado River with the Cocopah Indian Tribe and Yuma Audubon. April, 2021.
• A Bird (and People) Budget for Arizona’s Legislature. March, 2021.
• Audubon’s Water Policy Agenda Focuses on Results. March, 2021.
• Groundwater Protections Key to Sustaining Water Supplies for People and Birds. March, 2021.
• Federal Priorities for a Secure Water Future in the West. February, 2021.
• Audubon-Supported Legislation Benefits Birds and Water Rights Holders in Arizona. February, 2021.
• Keeping Beer and Rivers Flowing: craft brewers speak up to advance Arizona’s water law. February, 2021.
• Advancing Arizona’s Groundwater Management to Protect Our Water Supply. February, 2021.
• Western Water Network Grants: Chapter Highlights. February, 2021.
• Climate Change is Driving Water Scarcity across the West. January, 2021.
• Top Arizona Water Priorities for the Legislature this Year. January, 2021.
• A Colorado River Win for the Navajo Nation as Congress Passes Major Omnibus. December, 2020.
• Western Water Legislation Advances Conservation, Resilience, and Equity. December, 2020.
• Audubon Prepares Advocates for Upcoming Arizona Legislative Season.  November, 2020.
• Endangered Birds Were Dying Where They Shouldn't. Now Scientists Know Why.  October, 2020.
• Arizona’s Often-dry Streams Now under Threat Due to Clean Water Act Rollback.  October, 2020.
• Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo Remains Federally Protected after Delisting Threat Falls Flat. September, 2020.
• Sustaining Healthy Groundwater Levels is Critical to Habitat, Birds, and People. September, 2020.
• Audubon “Wingspan” Weighs in on Colorado River Lake Powell Pipeline.  September, 2020.
• Lake Mead and Lower Colorado River to Remain in Tier Zero Shortage for 2021. August, 2020.
• Arizona’s Rivers Could Face Irreparable Harm. August, 2020.
• New Senate Bill Threatens U.S.—Mexico Cooperation, Environment, and Birds of Lower Colorado River. July, 2020.
• Arizona: (UPDATE) International Infrastructure Issues Threaten Arizona’s Santa Cruz River. July, 2020.
• In Driest Year in Half Century, Audubon Releases Water into Rio Grande to Sustain Flows. July, 2020.
• U.S. Senate Introduces New Program to Assess and Monitor Saltwater Lake Ecosystems in the West. July 2020.
• U.S. Senate Votes to Protect Birds, Improve Parks, and Create Jobs. June, 2020.
• Connected by Water: Healthy rivers are key to our physical, emotional, and economic recovery. June, 2020.
• Gila River Diversion Stopped. June, 2020.
• Arizona Department of Water Resources and Audubon Agree to Funding Plan to Conserve Colorado River Water. May, 2020.
• Arizona Legislature Adjourns 2020 Session. May, 2020.
• Arizona Legislature on the Verge of Adjourning.  May, 2020.
• Restoring the Colorado River Delta. May, 2020.
• Water Policy Wins in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico before Coronavirus Closures. May, 2020.
• Native Plants Help Restore the Colorado River. May, 2020.
• Arizona Legislators, Western Rivers Action Network Discuss Water Security. February, 2020.
• Audubon Calls for More Resources and Attention (not Less) for Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo. February, 2020.
• UPDATE: New Federal Rule Reduces Protections for Water in the West, Harming People and Birds. January, 2020.
• Five Audubon Chapters Awarded with Western Water Grants. January, 2020.
• Prioritizing Water Security for Arizona’s Birds and People. January, 2020.
• Building a Positive Water Future: Western Water Highlights in 2019.  December, 2019.
• Why Groundwater Matters for Arizona’s People and Birds. November, 2019.
• Climate Change Threatens Arizona’s Forest Birds.  October, 2019.
• Arizona Legislature Wraps up with Wins for Birds, Water, and Public Lands. June, 2019.
• In the Field—Western Rivers Bird Count. June, 2019.
• International Infrastructure Issues Threaten Arizona’s Santa Cruz River. May, 2019.
• Audubon’s Jennifer Pitt Honored with Leadership Award for Colorado River Work. May, 2019.
• Arizona Needs to Resolve Long-Running Lawsuit in Order to Protect Rivers. April, 2019.
• A Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Is in Place—Now What? April, 2019.
• Bipartisan Colorado River Drought Plan Signed into Law Averting Potentially Catastrophic Outcomes for People and Birds.  April, 2019.
• Outdoor Recreation Along Arizona’s Waterways is a $13.5 Billion Industry, Ranked Higher than Golf and Mining, New Report Says. April, 2019.
• Bipartisan Colorado River Drought Plan Overwhelmingly Passes in Congress. Audubon Says: “Win for People and Birds in the Arid West.” April, 2019.
• New Federal Rule Would Reduce Protections for Water in the West, Harming People and Birds. March, 2019.
• How Craft Beer Is Helping Save Water In the Colorado River Basin. March, 2019.
• The Drought Contingency Plan and How We Got Here. March, 2019.
• After Major Progress in Arizona Water Policy, Audubon Continues the Cause. February, 2019.
• Audubon Gives Testimony In Support of Funding to Remove Invasive Plants Along Arizona's Rivers. February, 2019.
• Historic Agreement Reached in Arizona to Avert Devastating Water Shortages in the West: Audubon says “critical step in protecting 36 million people and 400 species of birds”. January, 2019.
• Audubon: Pass the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan. January, 2019.
• What is Going on with Water Planning in Arizona? December, 2018.
• What happened in Vegas? When it comes to water, this doesn’t stay in Vegas. December, 2018.
• Eight Natural Resource Issues for the next U.S. Senator from Arizona.  November, 2018.
• 10 Things You Should Know About Arizona’s Groundwater Management Act.  October, 2018.
• Balancing the needs of rivers, riparian habitat, and housing while ensuring environmental protections and sustainability for Arizonans. August, 2018.
• Dense forests, encroached meadows, and devastating wildfires: How Audubon and the Arizona Elk Society work together to protect rivers in the West. August, 2018.
• Using less and paying more. A conundrum it seems, until you dig a little deeper.  July, 2018.
• Connecting the Dots: From DCP and Lake Mead to Protecting Flowing Rivers and Habitat: Why birders and wildlife advocates should care about Lake Mead.  June, 2018

(To see stories from across the Colorado River Basin, visit National Audubon's Western Water News page.)

Studies/Reports:

• How will baseflow respond to climate change in the Upper Colorado River Basin? Department of the Interior. October, 2021.
• Reprt: Ten Strategies for Climate Resilience in the Colorado River Basin. Martin & McCoy and Culp & Kelly, LPP. July, 2021.
• The Myth of Safe-Yield: Pursuing the Goal of Safe-Yield Isn't Saving Our Groundwater. Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute, Arizona State University. May, 2021.
• April 2021 24-Month Study on the lower Colorado River. Bureau of Reclamation. April, 2021.
• Alternative Management Paradigms for the Future of the Colorado and Green Rivers. The Future of the Colorado River Project. Center for Colorado River Studies, Utah State University Quinn College of Natural Resources. March 2021.
• 2021 Conservation in the West Poll. Collorado College State of the Rockies Prokect.
  • Arizona results
  • Topic Report: Water
• The Urgency of Water. Walton Family Foundation. October, 2020.
• The Importance of Arizona’s Ephemeral Streams. Audubon Southwest. October, 2020.
• Reducing water scarcity by improving water productivity in the United State. Ben Ruddell and Richard Rushforth, Northern Arizona University. August, 2020.
• Arizona Water Blueprint. ASU Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute. June, 2020.
• Colorado River Basin Climate and Hydrology: State of the Science (2020). Western Water Assessment, CIRES, and University of Colorado Boulder. April, 2020.
• America's Most Endangered Riversof 2020. American Rivers, April, 2020
• Poll: Arizonans Speak. Arizona State University's Morrison Institute for Public Policy. November, 2019.
• The Elusive Concept of an Assured Water Supply: A Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District Report. The Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute. October, 2019.
  • Recorded webinar with Audubon Arizona Policy Manager Haley Paul
• The Economic Impact of Arizona's Rivers, Lakes, and Streams. Audubon Arizona and Southwick Associates. April, 2019.
• Economic Significance of Outdoor Recreation in the Gila and San Francisco River Watersheds. Pew Charitable Trusts and Southwick Associates. December, 2020.
• Minute 319 Colorado River Limitrophe and Delta Environmental Flows Monitoring Final Report. International Boundary and Water Commission. December, 2018.
• Bureau of Reclamation - August 24-Month Study for the Lower Colorado Region. Bureau of Reclamation.
• Executive Summary - Water and Birds in the Arid West: Habitats in Decline. The National Audubon Society. July, 2017.
  • Read the full report here
  • Report FAQs
• Economic Contributions of Outdoor Recreation on the Colorado River & Its Tributaries. Prepared for Protect The Flows by Southwick Associates. May 3, 2012.
• Outdoor Industry Association Congressional-Level Outdoor Recreation Economy Reports for all 435 Congressional Districts.
• Audubon's Western Water Program - Birds and Water in the Arid West.
• 12 takeaways from new Water Foundation poll of 12 Western states, WaterPolls.org. November, 2017.
• The Outdoor Recreation Economy. Outdoor Industry Association, 2017.
• State of the Trout - 2017. Trout Unlimited.  June, 2017.
• Arizona Department of Water Resources: An end-of-year report, of sorts: Why Water Resources is putting more resources into informing the public about what we do. Arizona Department of Water Resources. January, 2017.
• Study: Next US president must act fast on Colorado River. Ken Ritter, Associated Press.  October 2016
• LOOKING UPSTREAM: Analysis of low water levels in Lake Powell and the impacts on Water Supply, Hydropower, Recreation, and the Environment. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Western Water Policy Program. Spring 2016
• 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2011.
• Binational Study of the Transboundary San Pedro Aquifer. Callegary, J.B., Minjárez Sosa, I., Tapia Villaseñor, E.M., dos Santos, P., Monreal Saavedra, R., Grijalva Noriega, F.J., Huth, A.K., Gray, F., Scott, C.A., Megdal, S.B., Oroz Ramos, L.A., Rangel Medina, M., Leenhouts, J.M., 2016, San Pedro River Aquifer Bination al Report: International Boundary and Water Commission
• Building a 21st Century Colorado River Budget - Key Funding Programs in the Colorado River Basin
• Protect the Flows: 2015 ASU Study on the Economics of the River

Statewide Water Planning:

• Arizona Department of Water Resources Planning Area Meetings and Information
  • Storymap: Upper San Pedro River Planning Area
  • Storymap: Lower San Pedro River Planning Area
  • Storymap: Cochise Planning Area
  • Storymap: Verde River Planning Area
  • Storymap: Central Plateau Planning Area
  • Storymap: Colorado Main Stem South Planning Area
  • Governor's Water Augmentation Council Meetings and Information
  • Governor Doug Ducey's Arizona Water Initiative

Advocacy Materials:

• "How to be an Effective Advocate in Less Than Five Minutes". The National Audubon Society
• "Tips for Meeting With Elected Officials". The National Audubon Society
• "Tips for Successful Advocacy Meetings". SP Consultants
• "The Right to Write: Sending Paper Mail in an Internet World". The National Audubon Society
• "Capitol Hill Terms and Definitions". Audubon Arizona, adapted from www.Congress.org
• "Policy Options for Water Management in the Verde Valley". The Nature Conservancy

Miscellaneous Resources:

• Storymap: Understanding Arizona’s Groundwater. Audubon Southwest. March, 2021.
• Storymap: The Hardest Working River in the West. Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, a center of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. February, 2021.
• Arizona House Committee on Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Comittee Meeting Testimony
  • Camp Verde
• Storymap: Tracing the Path of the Colorado River. The Arizona Republic, AZ Central. June 2017.
• A Global water map: new resource for scientific studies. Marc Montgomery, Radio Canada International. January, 2017.
• 2016 Winter Webinars
  • Agua Dulce - Tucson Water's plan to return flow to the Santa Cruz:  Presented by Presented by Timothy M. Thomure, PE, ENV SP, Director of Tucson Water.  Facilitated by Audubon Arizona Education Director Cathy Wise.  View Timothy's presentation here.
  • Introducing the Verde River Exchange Water Offset Program: Presented by: Jocelyn Gibbon, J.D.--Principal, Freshwater Policy Consulting, LLC. Jocelyn coordinates the Exchange on behalf of Friends of Verde River Greenway. View Jocelyn's presentation here.
• Colorado River Policy: Opportunities for Tangible Progress
• The Colorado River: A Roadmap for the Secretary of the Interior
• Community Discussion Summary Statements: From Community Outreach Programs Following the 107th Arizona Town Hall - Keeping Arizona's Glass Half Full. Arizona Town Hall, June 2016.
• Lower Basin Drought Contingency Proposal Fact Sheet - Arizona Department of Water Resources, May 2016
• Colorado River Shortage Briefing Presentation Slides - Clint Chandler, Daniel Bunk, Ted Cooke, Arizona Department of Water Resources and Central Arizona Project, May 2016
• AZ Town Hall - Keeping Arizona's Glass Half Full - Highlights of the 107th Arizona Town Hall
• Tucson Audubon Society comments to the Benson Planning and Zoning Commission re: Villages at Vigneto. December 2015
• Tucson Audubon Society letter to the Army Corps of Engineers re: Villages at Vigneto.  July 2015
• Video: Business of Water.  Protect the Flows, 2015
• Poll: Education and Water should be Arizona's top priorities.  Arizona State University, February 24, 2015.

Downloadable Resources

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