Effects of Past and Future Groundwater Development on the Hydrologic System of Verde Valley, Arizona

By Bradley D. Garner and D.R. Pool

Summary

Communities in central Arizona’s Verde Valley must manage limited water supplies in the face of rapidly growing populations. Developing groundwater resources to meet human needs has raised questions about the effects of groundwater withdrawals by pumping on the area’s rivers and streams, particularly the Verde River. U.S. Geological Survey hydrologists used a regional groundwater flow model to simulate the effects of groundwater pumping on streamflow in the Verde River. The study found that streamflow in the Verde River between 1910 and 2005 had been reduced as the result of streamflow depletion by groundwater pumping, also known as capture. Additionally, using three hypothetical scenarios for a period from 2005 to 2110, the study’s findings suggest that streamflow reductions will continue and may increase in the future.

First posted April 9, 2013

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For additional information contact:
Office information, Arizona Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
520 N. Park Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85719
http://az.water.usgs.gov/

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Suggested citation:

Garner, B.D., and Pool, D.R. 2013, Effects of past and future groundwater development on the hydrologic system of Verde Valley, Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2013–3016, 2 p. (Available at https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2013/3016/.)