Home Care In New River, AZ

While there are no water snakes native to Arizona, some invasive semi-aquatic species occupy areas in the state that are close to a water source. Most of the water snakes in the US occur in the southeastern parts of the country. However, some are found as far north as New England. However, all snake species can swim, while several are semi-aquatic, so seeing serpents in rivers, dams, and lakes is not unusual. Below is a list of the most snake-infested rivers in Arizona and what you should do if you see one.

Water Snakes Found in Arizona Rivers

There are several semi-aquatic water snakes that inhabit Arizona’s rivers, including:

The black-necked garter snake occurs throughout southeastern and central Arizona. These snakes are semi-aquatic and generally found near water sources along semi-permanent streams and in rocky upland canyons. When visiting Sabino Canyon, guests often see black-necked snakes along the creek, usually in the riparian area. Snake enthusiasts typically visit this area when the creek flow diminishes, as these snakes are often sighted near the remaining pools of water, where they hunt for food.

The checkered garter snake is mostly found in desert and grassland habitats in southeastern Arizona. They are often sighted near water sources, like lakes, rivers, canals, wetlands, cattle tanks, and ditches. These snakes live in arid areas, so they are surprisingly good at locating water sources.

The Mexican garter snake primarily occurs in Arizona. However, there are scattered populations in southwestern New Mexico. These snakes inhabit marshes, rivers, stock tanks, lake impoundments, and fish hatcheries, and they occur at lower elevations than their cousins, the narrow-headed garter snake.

Also known as the Southern banded water snake, the banded water snake is an invasive species that occurs in Arizona. These snakes aren’t harmful to humans, but they do negatively impact native species. Furthermore, they can sometimes alter the ecosystem. Banded water snakes are excellent hunters and have a high reproduction rate, so they compete with native species for food and space.

Unfortunately, the narrow-headed garter snake is of special concern in the USA because of its fast decline over native habitats throughout the country. However, Oak Creek in Arizona has always housed the largest population of these snakes in the United States.

Most Snake-Infested Rivers in Arizona

The Colorado River is often referred to as the hardest-working river in the West. It’s a unique and diverse river that passes through 11 various national parks and monuments as it snakes through the different landscapes of two countries and seven states. Furthermore, it is an essential water supply for industry, agriculture, and municipalities from Tijuana to Denver. As a result, it supports a $1.4 trillion annual economy. This river offers plenty of recreational activities, like boating, fishing, whitewater paddling, backpacking, hiking, wildlife viewing, and more.

The Colorado River is one of the most snake-infested rivers in Arizona. It is home to five semi-aquatic snakes:

One of the West’s longest rivers, the Gila River, originates from the headwaters of the Black Range in the wild Aldo Leopold Wilderness and above 10,000 feet in the Mogollon Mountains of the Gila Wilderness. This river initially flowed 500 miles until it merged with the Colorado River, within proximity to the Mexican border. However, today, the river is drained dry halfway through because of municipal diversions and large irrigation in Arizona.

The Gila River is one of the most snake-infested rivers in Arizona. It is home to two semi-aquatic species, the black-neck garter snake and the narrow-headed garter snake. But if you see one of these serpents in the water, do not fear. They are not venomous and will probably be more scared of you than you are of them.

The San Francisco River runs through the wildlands of western New Mexico and eastern Arizona, flowing through narrow canyons, pine forests, and desert wilderness before merging with the Gila River. This historic river is 160 miles long, originating in The Grand Canyon State’s White Mountains, southwest of Alpine. It flows into New Mexico through the Luna Valley, with the San Francisco Mountains to the south and the Hellroaring Mesa and the Dillion Mountains to the north.

The San Francisco River is one of the most snake-infested rivers in Arizona. While it is only home to one semi-aquatic species, the narrow-headed garter snake, there have been many sightings of this snake in the water.

The Salt River is well-known for its dry gravel bed in Phoenix’s metropolitan area. However, further upstream, it is a vibrant, living stream. This river is the lifeblood of Pheonix and the surrounding areas. For example, it flows through the breathtaking yet rugged canyon wilderness, where it plays a vital role in cultivating industries, farms, and development. As a result, it was essential in developing the city of Pheonix, which sits in the Sonoran Desert.

The Salt River is one of the most snake-infested rivers in Arizona, as it is home to the narrow-headed garter snake. However, these snakes are not harmful to humans, so if you see one, just let it be, and it will leave you alone.

The Verde River is Arizona’s only federally designated wild and scenic river. It originates from the ground in Paulden, a rural community southwest of Flagstaff. This river is 195 miles long and runs southeastward through federal, private, state, and tribal lands before merging with the Salt River near Phoenix. While this river’s preservation is essential to the wildlife in the area and recreation, it is also vital to the health of the Verde River’s watershed, which feeds many Arizona communities downstream. Verde River is one of the most snake-infested rivers in Arizona. It is home to two semi-aquatic snakes, the Mexican and narrow-headed garter snakes.

Other Animals Found Near Rivers in Arizona

Snakes are not the only animals found near rivers in Arizona. There are many species that rely on these rivers as a water source, habitat, and more; they include:

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock.com

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Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced construction around Phoenix will be limited moving forward to protect groundwater supplies. This comes after Arizona was one of three southwestern states to reach a historic agreement to cut millions of gallons of Colorado River water usage over the next four years.

What we're learning is that Hobbs is pausing water supply certificates that rely solely on groundwater. She says it will only impact new development, not current development.

"For generations, groundwater has supported Arizona communities. In times of shortage, it is groundwater that we turn to as a back-up. In many communities throughout Arizona, it is the only water supply available, and so we must manage it wisely," said Hobbs.

Driving the state's decision was a projection that showed that over the next 100 years, demand in metro Phoenix for almost 4.9 million acre-feet of groundwater would be unmet without further action, Hobbs said. An acre-foot of water is roughly enough for two to three U.S. households per year.

Gov. Hobbs puts pause on water supply certificates

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced construction around Phoenix will be limited moving forward to protect groundwater supplies. This comes after Arizona was one of three southwestern states to reach a historic agreement to cut millions of gallons of Colorado River water usage over the next four years. FOX 10s Lindsey Ragas reports.

Despite the move, the governor said the state isn’t running out of water. "Nobody who has water is going to lose their water," Hobbs said.

Officials said the move would not affect existing homeowners who already have assured water supplies.

Hobbs released a study analyzing Valley groundwater supplies for the next century. She says it allows certainty for businesses and communities.

"If we do nothing, we could face a 4% shortfall in groundwater supplies over the next 100 years. We have to close this gap and find efficiencies for our water use, manage our aquifers wisely and increase our utilization of renewable supplies."

Closing that gap includes pausing water supply certificates.

"Everywhere in the Phoenix AMA [active management areas] where a new development or certificate is sought, we will not be able to approve that certificate based solely on groundwater. There are other ways they can meet certificate requirements. They can bring in not groundwater resources outside AMAs. They can utilize long term storage credits that are already underground for these purposes. They can use unreclaimed water," said Director Tom Buschatzke.

Hobbs says there is a bipartisan solution moving forward through legislation to address underlying issues, like the Rio Verde water situation.

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"That's an example of a development that happened using loopholes in the groundwater management program. And that's why the groundwater management program is important."

Hobbs also announced a $40 million investment of funds for water conservation, infrastructure and sustainable groundwater management.

"This Phoenix AMA groundwater model and 100 year forecast are critical tools that help us look into the future proactively manage our water supplies."

As for the certificates, Hobbs says this will not impact the 80,000 unbuilt homes that already have certificates. There are pending applications in the Buckeye area.

Years of drought in the West worsened by climate change have ratcheted up pressure among Western states to use less water. Much of the focus has stayed on the dwindling Colorado River, a main water source for Arizona and six other Western states. Over the past two years, Arizona's supply from the 1,450-mile powerhouse of the West has been cut twice.

Phoenix relies on imported Colorado River water and also uses water from the in-state Salt and Verde rivers. A small amount of the city’s water supply comes from groundwater and recycled wastewater.

The drought has made groundwater — held in underground aquifers that can take many years to be replenished — even more vital.

Under a 1980 state law aimed at protecting the state’s aquifers, Phoenix, Tucson and other Arizona cities have restrictions on how much groundwater they can pump. But in rural areas, there are few limitations on its use.

Long pumped by farmers and rural residents in Arizona with little oversight, Hobbs and other state officials recently vowed to the state's groundwater supplies.

In rapidly growing Phoenix suburbs such as Queen Creek and Buckeye, developers have relied on unallocated groundwater to show that they had adequate water supplies for the next 100 years, which Arizona requires for building permits in some areas.

"Developers rely on groundwater because it has been frankly, cheaper and easier for them, and they have been able to move through the process much more quickly," said Nicole Klobas, chief counsel for the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

Under the new restrictions, that won't be possible.

"It closes off that path," said Kathryn Sorenson, director of research at the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University.

Because the rule largely affects cities and towns outside Phoenix and larger cities in the metro area, Sorenson said developers would likely "weigh whether they want to continue to buy relatively cheap land ... and incur the cost of developing a whole new water supply versus purchase land that is probably more expensive without the boundaries of a designated city."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration floated two ideas this week to reduce water usage from the dwindling Colorado River, which supplies 40 million people.

The 1,450-mile (2,334-kilometer) river is a lifeline for seven U.S. states, dozens of Native American tribes, and two states in Mexico. It irrigates nearly 5.5 million acres (about 2.2 million hectares) of farmland in the U.S. and Mexico and generates hydroelectric power used across the West.

In recent decades, drought, climate change and an imbalance between the river’s flows and how much water users are promised has forced federal officials to consider new steps.

Tuesday’s analysis from the Interior Department considers two ways to force cuts in the water supply for Arizona, Nevada and California: use the existing water priority system or the same percentage across the board. California and some tribes with senior rights to water benefit more under the first option. Arizona and Nevada, largely with junior rights, don’t feel as much pain under the second.

Federal officials haven’t taken a stance.

WHAT PROMPTED THE ANALYSIS?

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, under the Interior Department, made a bombshell announcement last June as levels in the Colorado River’s key reservoirs dropped to historic lows. Federal officials said water use in the basin would have to be cut by 15% to 30%.

States scrambled to meet consensus, tensions rose and, ultimately, no deal was reached. But the challenges on the river persisted, and federal officials said they’d need to consider changing the operations at Hoover Dam that holds back Lake Mead and Glen Canyon Dam, which controls Lake Powell. The reservoirs on the Colorado River are the largest built in the U.S.

States regrouped and came up with competing ideas in January for reducing use. California proposed a plan separate from the other six states — Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

The proposals released Tuesday built on some of those ideas and rejected others.

HOW WOULD EACH PLAN AFFECT CALIFORNIA?

California is entitled to 4.4 million acre feet of water annually, more than any other single state in the Colorado River basin. California’s rights also are among the most secure.

Shares of water for California, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico come from Lake Mead.

Under current rules, California doesn’t lose any water until Lake Mead falls below 1,045 feet (318 meters) — about a foot lower than it is now. Even under the worst-case scenario, California would fare better than its neighbors in the Lower Basin.

The priority-based proposal would benefit cities and farm districts in California like the Imperial Valley. It’s a vast farming region in the southeast part of the state that grows a significant amount of the nation’s winter vegetables. The valley would lose no additional water under this proposal based on its senior rights.

California is far worse off if cuts are spread more evenly. As Lake Mead dips lower, it would have to cut more water, eventually up to about one-fifth of its allocation.

Its farming regions would be hard-hit, likely meaning growers would leave some fields unplanted. Cities like Los Angeles and San Diego have other sources of water, but a loss of river water could spur conservation rules that limit activities like watering grass.

WHAT ABOUT ARIZONA?

Arizona is in a tough spot regardless of what proposal moves forward because much of its water has a junior status in the priority system.

The state’s water users are entitled to 2.8 million acre feet of Colorado River water annually. Native American tribes along the Colorado River and farmers near Yuma in southwestern Arizona hold priority over cities.

The Central Arizona Project, which manages a canal system that delivers water to metropolitan Phoenix and Tucson, oversees roughly 1.6 million of those acre feet. It already has absorbed two rounds of mandatory cuts and would be hard-hit under the priority-based proposal.

If the cuts are spread based on the priority system, Arizona would be at risk of losing nearly two-thirds of its total river water in 2024. Under the proportional system that requires California to contribute more, Arizona would lose about one-third.

Under both options, some Arizona water users could have their allocations cut to zero if Lake Mead falls low enough to risk hydropower production.

It’s not clear exactly how either plan would affect farmers and cities. The Colorado River isn’t the only source of water for Arizona’s most populous areas. Many have been banking water underground for years.

WHAT ABOUT NEVADA?

Nevada has the smallest amount of Colorado River in the Lower Basin, 300,000 acre feet, that serves metropolitan Las Vegas.

Water recycling and other measures in southern Nevada have safeguarded the water supply. The state doesn’t use its full allocation. It would face some relatively small cuts, but it’s unclear how deeper cuts would affect residents.

WHAT ABOUT THE UPPER BASIN?

None of the plans would affect water deliveries to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico or Wyoming.

The four states get water directly from the river and, in most years, do not use the full 7.5 million acre feet appropriated to the Upper Basin.

WHY DOES THE ANALYSIS MATTER?

The analysis provides water users some fresh starting points in negotiations over cuts.

“The question will become ‘how bad that pain is and who it falls on,’” said Jay Weiner, an attorney for the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe.

The tribe along the Arizona-California border has senior rights to water and has opposed sidestepping the priority system, as has California and its irrigation districts.

Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, says the two proposals will spur renewed efforts to reach consensus over the next 45 days. That goal has been elusive for nearly a year.

WOULD DOING NOTHING RISK DISASTER?

Yes.

Doing nothing raises the risk that Lake Powell and Lake Mead drop so low that hydropower from their dams is threatened. Power production has already been affected with low lake levels. Voluntary water conservation can help. Precipitation, runoff from the Rocky Mountains and temperature also play a role.

The priority-based proposal would protect Lake Powell’s water levels — but could result in lower capacity at Hoover Dam. Sharing percentage-based cuts would help stabilize power production at both dams.

Everyone agrees that relying on the existing rules and guidelines that expire in 2026 is not a real option.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

States, tribes and other water users have until May 30 to comment. Federal officials are expected to announce a formal decision this summer. If states and tribes don’t reach consensus, that deadline could be delayed.

Meanwhile, representatives from the U.S. and Mexico will meet in the coming weeks and months to discuss Mexico’s role. The treaties governing Mexico’s voluntary water savings are separate from any agreements reached between U.S. states and Native American tribes.

Federal officials will announce how much water is available for 2024 in mid-August, along with any reductions in the Lower Basin states and Mexico.

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This story corrects that Glen Canyon Dam controls Lake Powell, not Lake Mead, in paragraph 8.

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The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

Hydrogeologic reality tops the list for causes of New River-area water woes

In the foothills regions north of Phoenix, all the ingredients for a recipe of chronic water-woes have been whipping together in recent years.

Rapid population growth and the construction of numerous tiny developments that fall outside of Arizona’s strict “Active Management Area” requirements for assured water supplies have strained the capacity of the area’s shallow aquifers. They can’t provide enough groundwater to the area’s residential wells.

The result? A year ago, it prompted a crisis in Rio Verde Foothills, an unincorporated area near Scottsdale. There, around 500 homeowners had come to rely on water-hauling trucks that tapped into city of Scottsdale fire hydrants, which the city deemed a safety hazard.

The crisis ebbed when the city agreed to make upgrades to a water-filling station that made the facility safer and more permanent.

The issue is playing out again in the Desert Hills and New River areas where commercial haulers supply residents with fresh water from a city of Phoenix hydrant. Again, out of safety concerns, the city informed the haulers that the hydrant was intended exclusively for temporary uses such as construction projects and county dust-control.

While the water-supply issues involve plenty of policy considerations, they originate in the hydrology of the region. And, while hydrogeology usually is a pretty complex thing, the hydrogeological issues facing the foothills north of Phoenix are as basic and straightforward as hydrogeology gets:

“The general area is located at -- or near -- the margin of the regional aquifer system and shallow bedrock conditions exist in many areas that limit the current and future productivity of wells,” observed Frank Corkhill, chief hydrologist for the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

Corkhill was addressing issues facing the New River/Desert Hills region north of Phoenix, near the substantial Anthem development, which is part of Phoenix.

He made those observations to a reporter for the north Phoenix online magazine In&Out, which was investigating why many homeowners in the area were experiencing problems with the productivity of their wells. They weren’t getting water like they used to, and many of them were blaming the big development at Anthem for hogging all the groundwater.

But as Corkhill explained to the reporter, Anthem gets its water from a renewable supply of Colorado River surface water that it leases from the Ak Chin Indian Community. It doesn’t use groundwater.

As reported on September 12 by In&Out editor Karen Goveia, declining water levels “across the rural areas of the North Valley stem from a combination of high levels of domestic water pumping by a large number of users within a shallow aquifer.

“Their pumping is certainly having an effect on themselves,” Corkhill told In&Out.

“When you have so many (wells) clustered in the same area, they can have a large collective effect.”

MESA, AZ(3TV/CBS 5) - It’s the unofficial start of summer: Salt River Tubing is back! The season opens on Saturday, April 29th.

While it’s been a staple in the Valley for years, the company has a new owner. William Jinks, a Valley businessman, and longtime resident, purchased it from the previous owners of 43 years, Henri and Lynda Breault.

What’s new for 2023? Jinks has added an online reservation system and how you pick up your tube should be easier. Instead of picking it up at the Salt River Tubing location along Bush Highway, you just have to pick up a wristband there. Then you can get on a bus and pick up your tube at the water.

“It’s such a popular, iconic spot,” Jinks said. “Ever since COVID the lines have just gotten crazy, so it’s just the way to speed up the lines.”

Jinks grew up in the Valley and has a transportation business. He bought the business because he felt like he could bring about some positive changes.

Tube rentals are $25, which includes a shuttle ride. If you’re bringing your own tube it’s $18 for the shuttle. Here’s more on reservations and pricing.

The start of the season means the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is focusing on safety. Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez spoke to Arizona’s Family on Friday. While some recreation areas had been closed because of the river flows, Enriquez says everything is back open.

Deputies never see a dip in people recreating along the Salt River, Enriquez said. It seems to be a year-long activity. If you plan on tubing, he suggests having a plan. Tell someone where you are going, drink responsibly, and have a designated driver.

Enriquez also says if you’re paddleboarding, you need to also bring a lifejacket. Know the law and the area, he added.

In terms of staffing, Enriquez says lake patrol deputies are on their summer schedule, which means they have double the resources. “Safety is a top concern for us out here,” Enriquez said. “We want everyone to have fun, but we want everyone to be safe.”

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