The purpose of the Tres Rios del Norte Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study is to determine the feasibility of providing habitat restoration along an 18 mile stretch of the Santa Cruz River from Prince Road to Sanders Road.  The study is a cooperative effort between the City of Tucson, the Pima County Regional Flood Control District, and the Town of Marana in conjunction with the United States Army Corps of Engineers.  This study is in the process of analyzing the potential to restore and enhance native vegetation and riparian habitat within the Santa Cruz River’s channel, its overbank areas, and on some of the major tributaries. Additional elements that are being considered include recreational improvements, cultural resource preservation, groundwater recharge, and flood damage reduction.

Information on the study's progress can be found here.

In addition to these reports, the Corps is working on preparing a “Community Report” which will be a more user-friendly document for the public, with sufficient discussion of the alternatives and planning process to better explain how values for water use and costs were determined. The report will also highlight groundwater recharge benefits associated with the project so that the water use is put in correct context. These three reports should be available for public review in 2009.

Army Corps of Engineers Process Flow Chart

Tres Rios Project Location Map