What does the water from your tap have to do with trees in Arizona forests? The two are more connected than you might think.
In fact, a majority of the surface water that we use every day in the Valley comes from 8.3 million acres of forested watersheds across northern and eastern Arizona. Protecting these forests is the key to ensuring a resilient water supply for the Valley.
Water’s journey from the forest floor to your front door
Your water begins its journey in the forests as it makes its way through a system of watersheds. A watershed is an area of land where rainfall and snowmelt drain to a stream or reservoir.
Water flow from the Salt and Verde watersheds fills SRP reservoirs, or lakes, on the Salt and Verde rivers. It then flows into canals and is eventually delivered to Valley homes, schools and businesses.
SRP manages seven reservoirs that are fed from the Salt and Verde River and East Clear Creek watersheds.
Healthy forests create a lasting water supply
The health of these forests directly affects our water supply. Healthy forests allow more snow and rain to soak into the soil. Ultimately, this helps improve the functionality of streams and the ecosystem. Healthy forests also filter the water that flows into SRP reservoirs so it’s cleaner. Unfortunately, our forests are overgrown and unhealthy. Consequently, the watersheds are at risk for high-severity wildfires.
Our forests and water are at risk
Although a recent study shows that our water supply can withstand climate change, there are still some risks.
When large wildfires burned through forests in the early 1900s, the U.S. Forest Service created policies to put out any fire that started, regardless of whether it happened naturally or was human-made.
As a result, the small natural fires that once thinned and healed forests were put out.
That policy, and the lack of timber harvesting in the 1980s and ’90s, allowed Arizona’s forests to become overgrown. In other words, they’re unhealthy with too many small-diameter trees and thick brush.
Overgrown forests create a threat
The scientific community now understands that forest overgrowth is not a natural or safe condition.
Thick brush and overcrowded trees can lead to intense wildfires that damage forest ecosystems and are hard to control. Wildfires can also contaminate our water supply with ash and debris.
To protect our forests and our water supply, we partner with federal and state agencies, businesses and others to support the strategic thinning of overgrown areas. In this case, strategic thinning means removing small trees and thick brush.
Restoring Arizona’s forests through strategic thinning
To help restore forests in northern and eastern Arizona, we’ve partnered with:
- U.S. Forest Service
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
- Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management
- Arizona Game and Fish Department
- Several nonprofits, including the National Forest Foundation, the Mule Deer Foundation, Conservation First USA, and the Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation
- Local governments and many other organizations
When it comes to restoring a forest, cutting down trees may seem counterintuitive. However, selectively removing small trees and brush reduces the risk of fire reaching large trees. It also slows the fire and reduces its severity.
Our goal is to support the strategic thinning of 800,000 acres total by 2035.
It’s a big goal, and we could use your help to reach it.
Stay informed
Learn more about how we plan to prevent large catastrophic wildfires and protect the water that comes from your faucet. As a starting point, see this helpful infographic about where your water comes from.
Read on to understand more about our forests and water supply and the progress we’re making to protect them.
The email titled “Discover Tempe’s water efficiency education resources” was a wonderful and educational. I volunteer for the Desert Botanical Garden and multiple guests I have interacted with ask about where water comes from and water sustainability.
We’ll be sure to pass this feedback along, Bonnie, thank you.
While I appreciate the value of this initiative, the major reason Arizona’s forests are overgrown is due to regulations and controls by the Federal Government. For example, you rarely see issues on Indian Reservations because they do not fall under the same regulations as national forests and parks. Therefore, the Tribal folks do proper forest management to ensure healthy forests and reduce the risk of wildfires.
If the mission of your initiatives is to prevent catastrophic wildfires, then what are you doing from a political and legislative perspective to return forest management control from the Federal Government to the States?
Hi Isaac, thank you for reaching out and for the interest in SRP’s Healthy Forest Initiative. SRP has built strong partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) over the last five years to really push the pace and scale of forest restoration in Arizona, especially on federal lands. We have been able to identify a number of key issues that prevent us from reaching the 4FRI goal of 50,000 acres/ year. Lack of forest industry in Arizona is one of those issues, which is why we have worked with USFS to issue a request for a proposal for a 20-year contract to thin 520,000 acres and with the Legislature to create a tax credit that incentivizes industry to process more wood, therefore restoring more acres. Finally, SRP and DFFM have created a new partnership that allows the State to manage forest thinning projects on National Forest lands and for SRP to bring funding to the projects. These are just a few examples of how we are trying to make a difference. Please visit srpnet.com/forest to learn more.