Rillito River: Before and After

Maybe the Rillito should be called the “Little Muddy” since the monsoon started! I had taken photos back on July 2nd of the Rillito River from a vantage point near the Campbell Ave. overpass. No water just swirling patterns in the mud.

Took photos again after the huge storm Sunday night, July 12 and what a difference 10 days and a monster storm can make!

Here are the before and after shots looking upriver:

And looking down river under the Campbell overpass. Mud on left, muddy water and a cyclist on the Loop trail on right.

“Soft Bottoms” for a wetter future

One of the good things about Tucson’s rivers is that, even though the sides of the rivers are reinforced with concrete, rocks or other hard materials, they have natural soil “soft bottoms” which allows the water to sink into the ground. All the little islands in the Rillito covered with creosote bushes and other native plants also slow down the flow, increasing the chances that the water will sink in and replenish the ground water. And Tucson definitely need more ground water because the water table–which is the source of our tap water–is falling year after year.

Let’s hope this monsoon keeps up until September 15th. And before you leave look at the awesome video in the comments section, below.