ADWR releases Preliminary Hydrographic Survey Report for the Sycamore Subwatershed in the Verde River Watershed

The Arizona Department of Water Resources has released its 2026 Preliminary Hydrographic Survey Report for the Sycamore Subwatershed. The Preliminary HSR depicts water uses in the Sycamore Subwatershed within the Verde River Watershed and is the first watershed-based HSR prepared by ADWR since the San Pedro HSR in 1991.

This latest HSR provides background on the Sycamore Subwatershed study area, describes the investigative procedures, and includes hundreds of Watershed File Reports, or WFRs, describing water uses on a parcel-by-parcel basis. 

These investigative findings will assist the Adjudication Court in determining the nature, extent, and relative priority of water rights in the Sycamore Subwatershed as part of the Gila River General Stream Adjudication. 

The Gila River General Stream Adjudication is a legal proceeding overseen by the Maricopa County Superior Court and will culminate in the Court determining the extent and priority of water rights claimed in the Gila River Watershed, inclusive of the Sycamore Subwatershed within the Verde River Watershed.

ADWR serves as the technical advisor to the Adjudication Court. In this role, ADWR performs work, including drafting reports, within its area of expertise as directed by the Court.

As defined in Arizona statute, ADWR is required to prepare preliminary and final hydrographic survey reports for watersheds and federal reservations when requested by the Adjudication Court. HSRs include detailed information, tables, and maps regarding water resources, water uses, hydrologic analyses, and landownership for each water right or water use investigated.

This Preliminary HSR is intended to provide water users with an opportunity to inspect the information ADWR gathered pertaining to water right claims and uses in the Sycamore Subwatershed. Additionally, this version of the report is intended to give water users the opportunity to make a claim for a water right, or to update existing claims and filings before the publication of the Final HSR.

The Final HSR will be published at a later date following the close of the public comment period and will replace the preliminary version. That final version, expected to be released following at least 120 days of notice, will assist the Adjudication Court in determining the nature, extent, and relative priority of all water rights in the Sycamore Subwatershed.

Generally, appropriating water means legally taking and using surface water for specific beneficial uses. In Arizona, different laws apply to a person’s right to use surface water or groundwater. The right to use surface water is subject to the doctrines of prior appropriation and beneficial use.

The first new watershed-based HSR in over 30 years brings new features and conveniences to the public, as well as to the Adjudication Court. It is the first HSR to be delivered to the public electronically, adding increased accessibility of the report and all its associated data.

The Adjudication Division’s dedicated webpage for the Preliminary HSR serves as a helpful hub of information and resources for interested parties in the study area. These include links to court notices, comment form submissions, an estimated timeline for the Court’s final decree of the area, and information to assist those with WFRs in the area. A new, public-accessible tool available on the page is the Sycamore Subwatershed Preliminary HSR Interactive Map, where users can locate reports on individual water uses. The interactive map comes with a User Guide and How-To Video for easy navigation.