Santa Cruz River Before and After–no kayaks

A few months ago I read somewhere that the City of Tucson was dumping reclaimed water into the Santa Cruz River. Ah ha, I thought, maybe someone will set up a kayaking adventure trip on the Santa Cruz like they have on the Los Angeles River.

During summer the L.A. River is dry except for a couple of feet of reclaimed water flowing in the channel for a mile or two near the Glendale Narrows. It’s just enough water for kayaks to float. There is even a short, tiny “white water” section. It is a very popular, fun adventure for locals– rather than out-of-towners who prefer the Disneyland Jungle Cruise. Kayak season ends in late summer, well before the winter rains which turn the river channel into a dangerous, raging flood.

Could there be a kayaking adventure on the Santa Cruz River?

So with kayaks on my mind, I went down to the park lining the Santa Cruz River near downtown to photograph the reclaimed water in the river. Well, there was not much water, just puddles here and there and a small pool below a small dam. Not a place for kayaks. I filed the photos away.

A few days ago I returned and after the late July/early August monsoon deluge the Santa Cruz, like all other rivers and streams in the Southern Arizona, is filled with a raging dangerous flood. No place for kayaks here, either.

Here is what it looked like, before and after, just to the north of the Congress Ave. bridge. The bridge is pictured at the top of this post. Oh, the river runs north and eventually this water will end up in the Colorado River.

As I was taking photos I noticed the huge cumulus clouds rising above the Santa Catalina Mountains just to the north. And turning around, more huge clouds to the South. They look as if ready to drop more rain on the city.

Is this a dam or a walkway across the river?

And the small dam was overwhelmed by the record-setting rains this month, August 2021.

It appears that this mesquite which had already fallen across the riverside path in July has dropped a little bit more during the early August rains. Hasn’t quite touched the fence yet. I suppose the city parks dept. will remove it at some point.

More research revealed that most kayaking in Arizona is on the Colorado River and a few lakes near Phoenix and northward. There doesn’t seem to be much–if any–kayaking or canoeing around Tucson. It’s much more of a hiking and biking city. The paved 120 mile long bike/hike path that surrounds Tucson is about 30 feet to the left of these photos.

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Summer is dullsville in Tucson this year, 2021. Almost all large events, except for the Farmers Markets, have been cancelled because of Covid 19. Some events may be starting again this Fall. The Republican governor and Republican legislature have banned mask mandates, but the Democrat mayors of Tucson and Phoenix as well as the Tucson School District are ignoring his ban.