Santa Cruz River river
Total streamflow across the Santa Cruz River was last observed at 61 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 121 acre-ft of water today; about 58% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 105 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2021-07-26 when daily discharge volume was observed at 20,367 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Santa Cruz River At Cortaro reporting a streamflow rate of 49.6 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Santa Cruz River At Tubac with a gauge stage of 18.64 ft. This river is monitored from 9 different streamgauging stations along the Santa Cruz River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 6,489 ft, the Santa Cruz River Near Cundiyo.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Santa Cruz River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Santa Cruz River
All 9 USGS gauges Snoflo tracks for this river, with current flow, stage, recent change, percent of normal, and the gauge's all-time min / max. Click any header to sort. Cells are heatmapped relative to the column min/max -- darker blue = higher.
| Streamgauge▾ | Streamflow (cfs)▾ | Gauge stage (ft)▾ | 24h Δ (%)▾ | % Normal▾ | Min (cfs)▾ | Max (cfs)▾ | Elevation (ft)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Santa Cruz River Near Cundiyo
NM
USGS 08291000
|
11 | 4.24 | 2.7 | 18% | 1 | 2,420 | 6,489 |
|
Santa Cruz River Near Lochiel
AZ
USGS 09480000
|
· | 5.41 | · | 0% | 0 | 12,000 | 4,642 |
|
Santa Cruz River Near Nogales
AZ
USGS 09480500
|
2 | 1.16 | -38.7 | 94% | 0 | 31,000 | 3,710 |
|
Santa Cruz River At Tubac
AZ
USGS 09481740
|
· | 18.64 | · | 0% | 0 | 15,900 | 3,161 |
|
Santa Cruz River At Continental
AZ
USGS 09482000
|
· | 1.14 | · | · | 0 | 1,310 | 2,813 |
|
Santa Cruz River At Tucson
AZ
USGS 09482500
|
· | -0.51 | · | 0% | 0 | 4,390 | 2,339 |
|
Santa Cruz River At Cortaro
AZ
USGS 09486500
|
50 | 8.39 | 198.8 | 101% | 1 | 65,000 | 2,139 |
|
Santa Cruz River At Trico Road
AZ
USGS 09486520
|
24 | 2.68 | -5.8 | 152% | 0 | 27,200 | 1,901 |
|
Santa Cruz River Near Laveen
AZ
USGS 09489000
|
0 | 8.24 | · | 15% | 0 | 33,000 | 1,032 |
Maximum streamflow discharge by year
The single highest aggregate discharge recorded each year. Spotting the multi-year trend reveals droughts vs. wet cycles long before the headline daily flow does.
Annual peak discharge
From the river's full record · one point per water year
Streamflow elevation profile
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by current streamflow (x-axis) vs elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-to-bottom traces the river from headwaters down to its mouth -- you can see flow accumulate as elevation drops.
Elevation vs streamflow
One point per monitored gauge · bubble size = gauge stage
Santa Cruz River
The Santa Cruz River is a 184-mile-long river that flows through the southern part of Arizona and northern part of Mexico. The river has a rich history, with evidence of human activity along its banks dating back over 4,000 years. The hydrology of the river has been significantly impacted by human activity, including diversion of water for agricultural use and the construction of dams and reservoirs. The two main reservoirs on the river are Lake Patagonia and the Rio Rico Reservoir. The river is also an important source of water for irrigation, supporting agriculture in the region. In recent years, efforts have been made to restore the river and its ecosystem, including the removal of invasive plant species and the reintroduction of native fish species. The river also provides recreational opportunities, including fishing and boating.
Recreation along the Santa Cruz River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Santa Cruz River in the Snoflo app
Set per-gauge push alerts (e.g. "alert me when flow at the Russian R Nr Healdsburg crosses 5,000 cfs"), and Snoflo's iOS app pushes the moment USGS reports the crossing.
About the Santa Cruz River
Where does the data for the Santa Cruz River come from?
Streamflow and gauge stage data are sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System. The aggregate flow shown at the top of the page is computed by Snoflo as the sum of all monitored gauges along the river.
How is "percent of normal" calculated?
Today's aggregate streamflow is compared to the historical average aggregate streamflow on this calendar day across the river's full record. 100% means right on average; values above 100% indicate above-normal flow (wet year); values below indicate below-normal (dry year or drought).
Why are some gauges showing very different flows?
Gauges along a river measure flow at different points: headwater gauges read what's coming off the snowpack or mountain runoff; downstream gauges integrate everything upstream, including tributary inputs. Wide spreads usually mean a tributary is contributing significantly between gauges.
What's the elevation profile chart showing?
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by streamflow (x-axis) and elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-down traces the river from headwaters to mouth -- you can see flow build as elevation drops.
Can I get alerts when a specific gauge crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app on a per-gauge basis. Open any individual streamgauge from the table above and favorite it to set a discharge threshold.