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The Pima County Department of Transportation and Flood Control District has built parks along the dry (usually) rivers in Tucson, AZ. A surprise to many to don't live here (and some who do) is that one of the more common causes of accidental death in Arizona is drowning. Yes indeed, in the Sonoran desert. This is because people just don't believe that the rivers and washes that have been dry as a bone for most of the year can fill up rapidly with just one good monsoon. Not only does the water get deep, but the sand in the beds can liquify to the same depth as the water. Double trouble. There is now a law in Tucson that when the police and fire department have to rescue someone from a flooded wash, the rescuee has to pay for it because there were too many people who were sure that they could get across the wash, even if there was water in it. The sides of many of the washes were collapsing too close to buildings so there is now a setback where people can't build. Along these setbacks Tucson has built some narrow parks. These are delightful places to exercise strenuously or to just stroll. On nice weekends they gets very busy. There are picnic tables, water fountains and bathrooms and a couple of parks. Most of this is in a very narrow strip but nicely laid out. The parks have paved paths for walking, biking, skating, etc. Along the Rillito only the north side is paved and the south side is earth and is restricted to pedestrians and horses. Currently there are parks along the Rillito from Campbell Avenue to La Cholla Blvd. There is funding to extend the path east on the Rillito and construction should start in 1998. Along the Santa Cruz there are a two sections. One is from Silverlake Road to Grand Road and the other section is from Irvington Road to Ajo Way. The Santa Cruz parks and the Rillito parks are suppose to meet up eventually. Unfortunately funding is very slow and the parts in the most danger from flooding get the work first. Click on the links above for some pictures of the parks and for another page on the river parks check out Over the Hills. |