HIDDEN WATERS

Endangered and Disappearing Arid Land Springs

A vast network of freshwater veins and aquifer pools course underground emerging as springs on land, in rivers and oceans. Early humans walked from spring to spring migrating around the globe, finding a diversity of animals and plants at waterholes.. Grasping water’s value, cultures worldwide worship its life generating and renewal quality. Yet today this relationship is forgotten and in peril. 

Having lived for years in a bone-dry town in Arizona, I paid constant attention to water. At a local Native American Festival talking to inter-tribal Water Keepers describe the loss of springs on their reservations, I was inspired to investigate what makes springs so remarkable. With accelerating groundwater overuse combined with long-term drought, a staggeringly high number of springs fall victim to  human endeavor and climate change. At the same time spring sites contain thousands of years of human and natural information that remain relevant today. Armed with a sense of adventure, luck, and a rented GPS, I’ve spent the last 7-years visiting springs in all kinds of conditions, relying on scientists, landowners and locals to find spring sites.

It’s difficult to comprehend the seriousness of water scarcity within modern society, where most of us access water by turning a faucet. While unseen and under-valued, springs serve a unique purpose. My photographs witness the few that remain before they are lost forever.