The name Tanque Verde means “green tank,” after an algae-covered stock tank that ranchers used here in the late 1800s. Settlers came to the valley as ranchers around the 1860s, and the area still carries that feel. It sits northeast of Tucson at about 2,670 feet, with the Santa Catalina Mountains to the north and the Rincon Mountains to the east, and two seasonal creeks, Tanque Verde and Agua Caliente, run through it. Lots tend to be larger than in central Tucson, homes are farther apart, and many properties back onto open desert or a wash.
That setting is the reason people move here. It is also the reason a pool in Tanque Verde takes a little more planning than one in a newer subdivision.
When Tanque Verde Creek runs
Most of the year the creeks are dry. During monsoon storms and wet winters they are not. Pima County warns that flood waters on Tanque Verde Creek can arrive quickly, with little warning. The County’s flood safety page lists spots where the creek breaks out of its channel in large flows, including along Woodland Road, Tanque Verde Loop Road and Houghton Road, and it notes dip crossings at Tanque Verde Loop Road and Wentworth Road.
Two things follow for a pool project:
- A floodplain check comes first. In unincorporated Pima County, the Regional Flood Control District requires a floodplain use permit for improvements in a regulatory floodplain, an erosion hazard area or mapped riparian habitat, and pools, walls and fences are on its list. A regulatory floodplain includes land along any wash with a 100-year flow of 100 cubic feet per second or more, plus areas of sheet flooding. Plenty of Tanque Verde lots are near something that qualifies. We check the maps before we settle where the pool goes.
- Drainage gets designed, not guessed. The deck, raised walls and the equipment pad should send storm water around the pool and off the lot the way it already flows. We draw it on the site plan.
Monsoon timing also matters during the build. Concrete trucks and pump trucks need to reach your yard, and some routes in the valley use dip crossings. We plan shotcrete and deck pours around the weather and the access route.
Well water or city water
Tanque Verde homes get water in different ways. Some are on Tucson Water and some rely on private wells. The Arizona Daily Star has reported that wells are drying up around the fringes of Tucson, including the Tanque Verde Valley, which sits over shallow aquifers that are sensitive to pumping and drought.
If you are on a well, the initial fill is the big question. A pool takes a lot of water at once. Before we schedule the fill, talk to your well service company about how much your well can safely supply, or consider having water delivered for the first fill. After that, a pool cover is the best way to cut evaporation and keep top-offs small. Well water can also be harder or higher in minerals than city water, so it is worth testing before startup. Our posts on the cost to fill a pool and hard water and pool chemistry cover the rest.
Laying out a pool on a large lot
On a big property, the question is not whether the pool fits. It is how everything connects.
- The walk from the house. A pool far from the back door gets used less. We usually keep it close to the main living space and let the rest of the yard stay natural.
- Two mountain ranges, two views. With the Catalinas to the north and the Rincons to the east, a raised spa or a fire feature can face whichever view you like best at sunset. VR makes that easy to decide.
- Room for the whole outdoor space. A longer pool for laps, a separate spa, an outdoor kitchen and a fire feature all fit, but each one should be placed for shade, wind and the walk between them.
- Long access routes. We own our excavation equipment and plan the route from the road to the dig before we start, including where trucks can turn and where the spoils will go.
- Hard ground. Rocky soil and caliche can turn up anywhere in the Tucson area. Our caliche guide explains how we handle it.
We only build concrete pools, shot as shotcrete, which gives us room to size and shape the pool to a big yard.
Barriers when the yard is open desert
In a subdivision, block walls on three sides often do half the barrier work. On many Tanque Verde lots, the yard is open to the desert, so the pool barrier has to be built. Every barrier we build is at least 5 feet tall under A.R.S. 36-1681, with self-closing, self-latching gates. Where you want to keep the view, view fencing or a low block wall topped with fence can enclose the pool without walling off the Rincons. See our block walls and pool fences page and our guide to Arizona pool barrier rules.
Who we are
Meraki Pools AZ is family-owned, with our own crew and our own equipment. You walk through your pool in 3D and VR before we dig, you get a written warranty schedule with your contract, and we are licensed under AZ ROC #352797 (KA-5 Dual Swimming Pool Contractor) and #342505 (CR-21).
Getting started in Tanque Verde
- We walk the property and note washes, slope, access, the water source and the views.
- We confirm the jurisdiction for your parcel, Pima County or the City of Tucson, and check the floodplain maps. Our pool permits guide explains the general process.
- You review a 3D design and walk through it in VR.
- You get a line-item quote. Most new custom pools run about $40,000 to $120,000 or more; see our pool cost guide.
- We handle the permits, including any floodplain use permit, then build.
West of Sabino Creek, see our Catalina Foothills page.
Call (520) 342-8335 or request a free estimate, and we will come out and walk the property with you.
Sources
- Tanque Verde, Arizona (Wikipedia): unincorporated Pima County CDP northeast of Tucson; 2,671 ft elevation; Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains; Tanque Verde and Agua Caliente creeks; ranching from the 1860s; “green tank” name.
- Pima County: Tanque Verde Creek (Upper) Flood Safety: flood waters arrive quickly; breakout locations; dip crossings.
- Pima County Regional Flood Control District: Floodplain Use Permit Application Guide: pools, walls and fences require a permit in regulatory floodplains; floodplain definition.
- Arizona Daily Star (This Is Tucson): wells drying around Tucson’s fringes: Tanque Verde Valley wells; shallow aquifers.
- City of Tucson: Water Service Area Policy: Tucson Water service boundary beyond city limits.
