USDA Opens Tucson Center for Southwest Water Research

The USDA opened a 15,650-square-foot Southwest Watershed Research Center in Tucson to help researchers develop practical ways for farmers and ranchers to manage water and protect soil in the semiarid Southwest. The facility supports USDA and University of Arizona scientists studying weather, water movement, erosion and how plants respond to drought, with field research at the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed and Santa Rita Experimental Range. Researchers will use tools including drones, remote sensing and rainfall simulators to measure runoff and assess environmental conditions. The center builds on more than seven decades of research in the region, with the goal of translating findings into useful land- and water-management practices.