Spring is in the air, and that means that Tucson’s Watershed Management Group volunteers are back in action. Here, two shovel-wielding volunteers are helping a local family solve a steep problem

Seems that the west side of their property has a steep slope that does a convincing imitation of a waterfall when there’s a heavy downpour. What’s worse is that the water runoff shorts out the pump that they need to connect with the county sewer system.

So, WMG and its volunteers are transforming the slope into a water harvesting oasis that will feature native plants in berms and basins. The berms and basins will slow the flow and allow the water to nourish the plants.