Sweetwater Wetlands on a cold, damp day

by David Safier

I had to take my car in for a DEQ test. I went to the facility just west of I-10 off Prince and decided to take a stroll afterwards through the Sweetwater Wetlands, which is just down the road. A bit damp and chilly, but lovely. Thousands of ducks. Who knows how many little birds. I even saw what was probably a heron, maybe an ibis. (I'm a non-avid bird liker, but not much of a bird identifier.)

In case you don't know Sweetwater, it's a water treatment facility which is also a watery oasis in the dry Sonoran Desert.

The Sweetwater Wetlands is a water treatment facility, an urban wildlife habitat, and an outdoor classroom.  As a water treatment facility, it is one of the most important facets of the City's Reclaimed Water System. Treated water filters through sediments beneath the recharged basins and replenishes the local aquifer. This reclaimed wastewater is recovered by extraction wells during periods of high water demand and distributed for reuse in Tucson's golf courses, parks, schools and other large turf irrigation areas.

As an urban wildlife habitat, the Sweetwater Wetlands is a tranquil park where visitors can view native wildlife in an urban setting. This water-rich streamside riparian zone supports a huge variety of wildlife including dragonflies, raccoons, hawks, bobcats and dozens of other species that make the wetlands their full- or part-time home.

A few shots, rendered a bit impressionistic by the overcast weather and the lens of my smart phone.