Water management options for the Upper San Pedro Basin: Assessing the social and institutional landscape

The San Pedro River flows northward 300 km from its source in northern Mexi co into southeastern Arizona. The upper basin, predominantly rural until re cently, now is experiencing rapid residential growth. The resulting rise in urban population is raising demand for water from the area's only source: groundwater from the basin. The San Pedro, whose riparian area is nationall y protected in the United States, is one of the arid Southwest's last remai ning streams to flow virtually year-round. Accordingly, issues surrounding the river's use and protection have drawn considerable attention and contro versy. This paper examines water-management options for the basin and empha sizes the groundwater versus surface water nature of the resource and the s ocial and institutional elements of the controversy.****.