Due to the effects of climate change, the USA Southwest is expected to experience increased temperatures and decreased water availability. Extended droughts will likely have important consequences for riparian trees whose growth and habitat are strongly limited by water availability. One consequence of extended water table declines on riparian trees is the development of wood anatomical anomalies. Using techniques developed for quantitative wood anatomy (QWA) it may be possible to quantify these anomalies and reconstruct water table variability through time. We explore this possibility using tree rings from netleaf hackberry (Celtis laevigata var. reticulata) collected along the Upper Santa Cruz River, Arizona. We suggest hackberry has the potential to be used 1) as an indicator of riparian ecosystem health, and 2) to provide improved reconstructions of water availability. Understanding how hackberry responds to periods of low and high flows can provide insight into how to better manage these ecosystems into the future.