In an attempt to control surface runoff and mitigate rangeland degradation in the western United States, thousands of runoff and erosion control structures have been built since the early 1900s. Much of this work was accomplished by altering surface topography to interrupt, redirect, or detain occasional but high-velocity overland flows. Structures such as earthen water spreader berms were designed to control hillslope runoff and enhance infiltration upslope of berms, thereby increasing soil moisture and promoting vegetation growth. The impact of berms on vegetation patterns is visually evident in aerial photographs and satellite imagery, which show distinct vegetation patches upslope and, in some cases, reduced vegetation downslope. However, the impacts of berms on vegetation have not been quantitatively assessed, limiting the potential for landscape managers to account for these structures. Here, we evaluate the impacts of water spreader berms on surrounding vegetation (within 200 m) using the Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) as a measure of vegetation greenness. We characterize SAVI in the vicinity of 210 previously mapped berms in the Altar Valley, Arizona, and compare areas upslope and downslope of these berms. Near-berm SAVI values are also compared to SAVI values from nearby areas that are not directly affected by berms or other human structures. The results indicate greater SAVI upslope of berms, extending up to 60 m, with SAVI enhancement ranging from similar to 3% relative to background areas in March (early spring) to similar to 15% in August (end of the monsoon rains). Berm impacts on SAVI extend over a greater distance downslope, to approximately 120 m, but the effect size is smaller. These findings show that berms can significantly alter nearby vegetation. The study illustrates how remote sensing approaches can support conservation planning that accounts for both human-altered topography and its impacts on surrounding vegetation.