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April 3, 2020 / Volume 8, Issue 13
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WRRC Office Update
Although the WRRC building will be closed to the public until further notice, our staff continue to work and engage as much as possible. You can reach us via email as listed on our
Directory. We wish you all the best - Stay safe and healthy!
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Are you working from home and contemplating the wonders of water? Beyond being very grateful for our clean tap water and our efficient wastewater systems during this stressful time, we can re-energize our moods by implementing some home water innovations and strategies. Here are a few ideas and resources to help get you started or remind you of that "water to do list" you left at the office.
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Brown Bag Webinar Only - Human-Environment Dynamics in the Sonoran Desert and Ae. aegypti, the Vector of Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya
April 8, 2020 / 12:00pm to 1:15pm
Speakers: Kacey Ernst,
Associate Professor and Program Director of Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Arizona
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Brown Bag Webinar Only - Student Research on Water Resource Science Monitoring and Methods
April 16, 2020 / 12:00pm to 1:15pm
Speakers:
- Nat Bransky, MS Student, Environmental Sciences and Policy Program, Northern Arizona University
- Sean Schrag-Toso, MS Student, Hydrology and Atmospheric Science and Water Policy Certificate Program, University of Arizona
- Christopher Yazzie, PhD Student, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Arizona
Presentations:
- Monitoring Tamarix defoliation and mortality from D. carinulata attacks using satellite imagery in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA;
- Isotopes, geochemistry, Citizen Science and Local Partnerships as Tools to Build Upon a Fractured Understanding of the Hydrology of the Patagonia Mountains,
- and Solar Nanofiltration for Off-grid Water Purification in Navajo Nation.
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Upcoming Brown Bag Webinars
- April 29 - Marie Pearthree, Mike McGuire, Book: Tucson Water Turnaround: Crisis to Success
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Brown Bag Webinar on Colorado River Conversations
On Wednesday, April 1, the WRRC hosted Kathy Jacobs, Director of the UA Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions and Amy McCoy, founding partner of Martin & McCoy, for an engaging Brown Bag presentation on lessons learned from their ongoing Colorado River Conversations project. Jacobs described the background and context of Colorado River management and the overarching focus of their project: preparing for extreme events using a scenario planning process, highlighting science gaps, and identifying resources necessary to guide a new phase of river management negotiations. In the second part of the presentation, McCoy focused on the project's scenario planning process. McCoy described a series of scenario planning workshops designed to understand the intersection of extreme events. One interesting part of the process was a "Nightmare Driver" exercise where participants were asked to describe what future scenario would be a nightmare for them. These scenarios were then used to develop storylines to identify impacts on river management. A future workshop will focus on developing solutions for these scenarios. The presentation overall was rich with takeaways from a process for broadening the conversations that inform management of our Colorado River system.
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In Memoriam - William Lord, Former WRRC Director
On the evening of Friday, March 27, 2020, former WRRC Director William Lord passed away. He had retired from UA and was living in Boulder, Colorado. At UA, he was a professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Hydrology and Water Resources (now Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences). His research focused on water resources planning and management, municipal water supply, and water shortages. During his five-year tenure at the WRRC (1985-1990), he was responsible for creation of an important Issue Paper series, the first
Arroyo publications, and formation of the Deans' Water Council, an effort to coordinate water-related activities across campus.
Read the memorial article
here
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Stay Safe with Clean Hands!
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Proper handwashing is more important than ever as COVID-19 continues to spread around the world. According to the
CDC, handwashing is the basis of infection control. Handwashing itself might seem like a simple task, but doing it properly might be more complicated than you think! Project WET Foundation offers free, online resources to teach proper handwashing and personal hygiene. One of these resources is the
Soap and Water Science activity, a step-by-step interactive lesson that explores the chemistry behind soap and water, and shows how the 20-second handwashing technique works. Project WET also offers the
Clean and Conserve Online Training, a suite of free online courses for educators to teach students about proper workspace hygiene habits that help reduce surface germ transmission. These programs not only emphasize the importance of hand-washing but they also highlight the importance of keeping common areas clean. These activities are recommended for 8 years old and up but you can share the message with audiences of all ages!
- Online course on how to teach proper personal hygiene habits to a group or organization
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Plumbing Protection in the Time of COVID-19
In the midst of COVID-19, people are running out of toilet paper and resorting to other alternatives that could harm the sewer system. Pima County Wastewater officials say they are starting to see items that can clog pipes and the community's sewer systems. Even items that are labeled flushable or disposable can cause problems. Flushing items other than toilet paper could cost homeowners a hefty plumbing bill or even damage water pumps and end up costing taxpayers to have them repaired. Only flush toilet paper down the toilet. Throw all other items in the trash. Wastewater officials want to get the message out before there's a big problem in our community.
Here are a couple of ideas that might help conserve toilet paper and alleviate stress on Arizona's wastewater management system.
- Discard baby wipes, or other non-flushable items in a covered sanitary bin instead of flushing--change bags daily.
- Consider cutting up old t-shirts or other soft fabrics for urine cleanup, placing them in a covered sanitary bin to be washed in heavy duty detergent.
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