The Verde River is treasured by Arizona communities that rely on it for drinking water, food production, and recreation. Its flowing waters and green, living corridor provide a unique and lush oasis in the high desert.

This project replaces inefficient flood irrigation systems with modernized drip irrigation that precisely applies water to meet specific crop demands. The project achieves food and water security benefits by reducing on-farm water use and decreasing the amount of water diverted out of the Verde River.

When completed, the project will reduce water diversions from the Verde River by up to 7 million gallons annually. In addition, the Verde Drip Project will serve as a pilot to guide the installation of larger drip irrigation systems that will convert up to 600 acres of flood-irrigated land to subsurface drip systems.