Monsoon enlivens natural springtime in the Westside Tucson District | Attendees

She said those around Tucson tend to be on or near the mountains, near the bedrock, even though the Agua Caliente spring on the east side of the city gushes warm water from a fault line.

Whether or not springs flow is influenced by geology, climate, and human activities such as land development and groundwater pumping, she said.

Some springs are inactive – or have dried up completely – due to the ongoing “mega-drought” in the southwest and rising temperatures from human-induced climate change, Fonseca said.

Free water

Based on the amount of water, the main drain of the Desert Crest Spring is somewhere just behind Dave Peña’s back wall.

Peña used to work for the city’s water board, and when he first saw water flowing through his street – decades ago – he reported it immediately.

When he found out that it was a natural river, he thought the water was fair game.

“Years ago I pulled out a hose with a funnel. I would use it on my wife’s plants, ”said Peña, who has lived on Desert Crest since 1978.

The evidence of water lurking near the surface here is actually pretty easy to see once you know what to look for. This short stretch of Desert Crest Drive is lined with some of the tallest trees in the neighborhood, including several towering mesquites, and in the corner of Peña’s backyard closest to the source, a huge, bushy desert pasture.

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