Pima County Regional Flood Control District Monthly Brown Bag Series
Speaker: Julia Fonseca, Environmental Planning Manager, Pima County Office of Sustainability and Conservation
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 13, 12–1 PM
Location: 201 North Stone Ave, 9th Floor
Julia Fonseca will discuss prehistoric and historic uses, with an emphasis on how conflicts along the river shaped who gets water. People have depended on the waters of the Santa Cruz River for thousands of years, even though perennial flows were limited to certain reaches. Recent excavations reveal a number of canals, among the oldest in North America, are found along the Santa Cruz River downstream of Tucson in reaches that flowed only seasonally. The advent of fossil-fueled pumps represented the most significant technological change since prehistoric times. Overuse of the shallow groundwater system along the river set the stage for several court cases that shaped how water would be used thereafter in Tucson and elsewhere in the state. The Santa Cruz River has not only been a source of water, but has long been used to dispose of a wide variety of pollutants ranging from trash to sewage. The history of pollutant regulation will be discussed in relation to the Santa Cruz River and its tributaries.