Water

Nearly forty years ago, when Congress passed the Clean Water Act, it set the goal of making all of our nation’s waters safe for fishing and swimming and to advance the ultimate goal of “restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s surface waters.”

• Restore protections for Arizona’s intermittent and ephemeral waters (which do not flow consistently or year-round) – approximately 95 percent of our rivers and streams
• Protect groundwater resources by promoting water conservation and limiting groundwater pumping to sustainable levels statewide
• Monitor water quality and quantity in our rivers and streams in order to advocate for their protection
• Promote hands-on conservation work to engage Arizonans in learning about our water resources and acting to restore and maintain them

• Check out this interesting program on earth fissures, mostly caused by groundwater pumping in our state.
• Here's a video overview of the Water Sentinels Program
• Desert farming and the entangled fates of water in Arizona and Arabia

This film, "Every Last Drop: The Demise of Pinto Creek", was produced by award-winning filmmaker Craig Johnson. Watch the film to learn about Pinto Creek and why this rare perennial stream should be preserved.

Arizona's Water Crisis: What You Can Do!

Watershed Alliance Asks Court To Halt Massive San Pedro Development. More information here.

Check out the update on the "Going with the Flow" report for the Upper Verde River here and our new map of Upper Verde River flow monitoring sites here.

Upper Verde "Wild and Scenic River" Proposal

Sierra Club and a coalition of organizations have drafted "A Conservation Vision for Arizona's Water Future," which outlines why and how Arizona water policy needs to be updated. Add your name in support of this water vision! Please click here to Sign On.

Get involved in our Water Sentinels program! Check our online calendar for upcoming opportunities

The Sierra Club’s "Arizona Water Sentinels Program" mobilizes volunteers to protect, improve, and restore our waters through hands-on conservation work, public education, and citizen action. Our Sentinels work throughout the state, but our current focus is on the Verde and San Pedro rivers, where we monitor water quality conditions, and on the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area in Phoenix, where we conduct monthly weed-and-clean events to protect this important riparian area. We also organize stream clean-ups on several waterways across Arizona.

Learn more about this program using the links below or contact Jennifer Martin, our Water Sentinels Coordinator, at (602) 254-8362 or jennifer.martin@sierraclub.org