The Marana High Plains Effluent Recharge Project (MHPERP) was constructed in 2002 by the Pima County Regional Flood Control District in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, Arizona Water Protection Fund, Cortaro-Marana Irrigation District, and the Town of Marana. The project is located along the Santa Cruz River, in Section 33 of Township 11 South, Range 11 East in the Avra Valley sub-basin of the Tucson Active Management Area (TAMA). The facility is one component of a regional water resource, flood control, environmental protection and enhancement, and recreation program (the Northwest TAMA Replenishment Program) that is sponsored by more than a dozen local, state, and federal entities. Facility operations have been ongoing since February 2003.

MHPERP is a multi-purpose facility designed to recharge treated effluent from the Santa Cruz River into the local groundwater aquifer, while simultaneously investigating wildlife habitats associated with recharge facilities.