Flowing a life-giving 195 miles in the desert Southwest, the Verde River is a shimmering jewel in the desert.

Given life by the Big Chino aquifer, it begins its journey southeast of Paulden, Ariz. and ends at its confluence with the Salt River northeast of Phoenix.

Most Southwestern United States rivers begin in mountainous regions that experience higher precipitation than the lowlands below. The unique Verde River begins in a broad alluvial basin in the Big Chino Valley. Through seeps and springs fed by the Big Chino aquifer, it begins life in a desert canyon, meanders through the Verde Valley alluvial basin and eventually joins the Salt River in the low desert below.

The Verde River provides a vibrant riparian life for plants, wildlife and birds. It nourishes one of the last five Fremont cottonwood - Goodding willow gallery forests in Arizona. There are only 20 in the entire world. The river also provides a high quality of life to the people who live in its watershed. The residents of the cities and towns that are built on its banks rely on the river to sustain their quality of life and economy. There are "connections between the health of an ecosystem and that of the people, communities, and economies that depend on it," emphasizes Sandra Postel in her book Rivers for Life.

Alluvial/alluvium: clay, silt, sand, gravel, or similar detrital material deposited by running water.

Riparian: relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater.                             Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary

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