How many times have you driven across a water channel and wondered what arroyo or river it was? No more! Watershed signs will be appearing in a neighborhood near you soon. Look for the blue signs wherever the river or an arroyo crosses a road. A joint project of the Watershed Association and the City and County of Santa Fe, the signs are a reminder that we all live in a watershed and that we are all connected by water.

Many Santa Feans and most visitors are not aware that we have a river running through our city, much less where it is, or what it’s called. Watershed signs will show us, and remind us, where the river and arroyos are and what they are named, as well as the name of the watershed, and the final destination of the river (Flows to Rio Grande). The signs will bring attention to our natural watershed boundaries in the same way city and county signs do for political boundaries

Watershed signs can help everyone to understand the connection between the watercourses in their area and the land that drains them. Many of the rivers and all of the arroyos are dry for part of the year, so it can be difficult to connect our actions with the health of their rivers. One of the major sources of water pollution is non-point source pollution - pollution that does not have a single source but comes from our parking lots, roads, businesses, and homes. These signs remind us to made environmentally friendly choices when we wash out our paint brushes (in the sink not in the gutter), change the oil in our car (recycle it), and try to kill weeds in our gardens ( use natural or less toxic herbicides).

The sign project is a joint effort by the Santa Fe Watershed Association, the City and County of Santa Fe, the New Mexico Environment Department Surface Water Quality Bureau, New Mexico Deptartment of Transportation, Santa Fe Conservation Trust, and Earthworks Institute. Funding for the initial batch of 50 signs was provided by Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company as part of its support to the Santa Fe Watershed Association.

The sign project has been adopted by the New Mexico Forestry Division's Forest and Watershed Health Office. They have placed 23 signs along major roadways. The signs greet you as you enter a watersheds throughout the state. For a map of the location of the signs in the state click here. For more information concerning the Forestry's Division's "Know Your Watershed Campaign" please visit their website at http://allaboutwatersheds.org/groups/KYW.