IN THIS ISSUE: Brown Bag Recap, CILA, WRRC Resources, APW, New Volunteer, ADEQ
Informative Webinar on Binational Collaboration
On Tuesday, September 14, the WRRC hosted the webinar Binational Cooperation in the Colorado River Basin: United States and Mexico, featuring US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) Binational Program Manager Amy Witherall and Analyst Sean Schrag-Toso. The timely webinar coincided with the appointment of the new Commissioners to both the US and Mexico Sections of the International Boundary and Water Commission. US Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner attended the webinar and offered some special remarks at the start of the event. Read more about Mexico’s Commissioner, Adriana Reséndez Maldonado, below in this issue of the Weekly Wave. Following Commissioner Giner’s remarks, Witherall began the presentation with a question to the audience, “What one word do you associate with the US/Mexico relationship on the Colorado River?” Audience responses generated a word cloud with “complicated” and “uneven” emerging as the most-entered answers.

EVENTS
APS Sustainable Water Strategies and Practices
 
Date: Thursday, Oct 7, 2021
Time: 12:00 - 1:15 pm MST
Location: Webinar Only
 
Speaker:
Henry Day, Water Policy and Strategy Consultant, Arizona Public Service Company
 
Since its inception in 1884, originally as Phoenix Light and Fuel Company, Arizona Public Service Company, the largest electric utility in Arizona, has generated clean, reliable, and affordable energy from nine power plants, now serving 2.7 million Arizonans. APS has long been recognized as a leader in water reuse, as demonstrated by its use of reclaimed water as cooling water for Palo Verde Generating Station, the largest producer of power in the United States for the last 25 years. Recognizing the value of water to power generation in an increasingly water-challenged environment, APS created a Water Resource Management Department in 2009. This department focused primarily on water acquisition, contracts, and agreements in direct support of power plant generation, but also developed water conservation practices and strategies to be employed across Arizona and New Mexico. In 2020, APS took another step forward with creation of the Sustainability Department with a broader mission to direct the company's water planning and policy efforts and engage with other stakeholders to ensure Arizona's water supplies are preserved for future generations.
Upcoming WRRC Events

Oct 26: Brown Bag Webinar: The Case for Better Planning
Richard N. Morrison, Retired Attorney; Co-Founder of the Morrison Institute of
Public Policy
External Events

 
AIR International Programs is coordinating a cross-campus initiative to establish the University of Arizona as a thought leader in addressing global challenges related to resilience. They seek to mobilize UArizona faculty, staff, and students with experience, expertise, and interest in climate change, conflict, human rights, global health, food security, migration, water resources, and other resilience-related themes.
This symposium provides an interactive forum for UArizona faculty, staff, and students to showcase their work on resilience as well as a springboard to build a community of individuals who are interested in new collaborations to pursue opportunities for research, training, and outreach related to resilience and international development.


The New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute (NM WRRI) and the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) are jointly hosting the Two Nations One Water 2021: Binational Water Conference for Chihuahua, New Mexico, and Texas, which will take place virtually September 28-30, 2021. This three-day conference will bring together water researchers and trusted experts from the binational border region of New Mexico, Texas, and Chihuahua to share research, build trust, and explore ways to work towards a sustainable water future for the U.S. and Mexico. 
NEWS
Adriana Reséndez Maldonado Appointed
CILA Commissioner

On September 15th, Adriana Beatriz Carolina Reséndez Maldonado was appointed to serve as Mexico's Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission (Comisión Internacional de Límites y Aguas, CILA). She obtained a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in her native state, Chihuahua, Mexico. The new Commissioner also holds a master's degree in arid lands from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua. Commissioner Reséndez has over 23 years of experience working for CILA, where she has served as both deputy director and director. Prior to being appointed, the new Commissioner held the position of Operations Principal Engineer, and as part of her duties, she supervised the pulse flow for the Colorado River. The CILA headquarters are located in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
Presentations Highlight WRRC Resources

A large part of WRRC efforts focus on increasing water awareness and understanding. On September 9, 10, and 11, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal made presentations on water issues faced by Arizona to three different community groups. One of the questions she answered was, “What can we as individuals do?” Her answer--know where your water comes from--emphasized becoming informed. Dr. Megdal's presentations provided links to information resources available from the WRRC website. The website offers links to the annual Arroyos under the PUBLICATIONS tab. There you can access the 2021 issue, “Arizona Groundwater Management: Past, Present and Future.” Look under the RESOURCES tab for the Arizona Water Map poster. Under the ABOUT tab, you can find the Director page, on which is a link to Dr. Megdal’s series of “Reflections” on water issues, as published in the Weekly Wave. While on the website, check out the EVENTS section for the latest on Brown Bag seminars and other WRRC sponsored and co-sponsored events, including our annual conferences. For past events, you will be able to find recordings and slide presentations, which are posted with permission from the speakers. Explore the PROGRAMS pages, which feature information on state, regional, national, and international water issues. If you still have questions, use the Contact + Location feature (in the ABOUT tab dropdown menu).

A Window into COP26
 
Retirement is generally a time for an individual to relax, slow down, and travel. Betsy Wilkening, an outreach education specialist with AZ Project WET, will only be doing one of these things a few days after she retires at the end of October. Ms. Wilkening will be traveling to Glasgow, Scotland as part of Climate Generation’s delegation at COP26. COP is the acronym for the Conference of Parties, the decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) composed of representatives from 197 nations. COP26, on November 1-12, 2021, is the 26th such meeting since the first meeting in 1995. Wilkening's work with students, such as Thomas B. who provided the artwork for this article, inspires her to continue to work to “Save the Planet.” While at AZ Project WET, Wilkening helped lead the Recharge the Rain Project that engaged teachers and students in building community resilience to climate threats in Tucson. As president of Polar Educators International, she is also very familiar with the impacts of climate change on the polar regions.
 
New Volunteer Joins Communications Team

The WRRC welcomes a new volunteer, Susana Gecht, who will contribute to communications and outreach efforts. Susana, who lives in Tubac, AZ, is well-traveled, has broad experience, and has developed a passion for understanding and educating others about water. She envisions greater water information sharing, not just regionally, but also nationwide. To that end, she will be working to interest external news outlets in stories generated by the WRRC on locally relevant and timely water topics.
ADEQ Clean Water Act Information Session is September 29

On August 30, the US District Court in Arizona vacated and remanded the 2019 and 2020 rules redefining "Waters of the United States" under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The court action had the effect of setting CWA regulations in Arizona back to those in place before the 2019 repeal and 2020 “Navigable Waters Protection Rule.” The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), tasked with administering CWA regulations in Arizona, is holding a webinar on September 29 to inform permittees and other stakeholders on how the agency will regulate under the current federal rule. During the webinar, ADEQ will also be sharing the first technical white paper associated with the rulemaking of the new State Surface Water Protection Program, which discusses the Protected Surface Waters List and stakeholder feedback.
WATER JOBS
The UArizona Water Resources Research Center is seeking a student with interest and experience in writing about water and/or environmental topics to assist with outreach communication. Applicants are encouraged to visit the WRRC website for more information on WRRC programs and activities. Interested students should send a statement of interest, writing sample, and resume including the names and contact information of two references to Michael Seronde at seronde@arizona.edu. 
Accepting applications until the position is filled.


Please visit WRRC's website for a complete listing of water jobs & opportunities.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA

Vanessa Buzzard, Juliana Gil-Loaiza, Nathalia Graf Grachet, Hannah Talkington, Connor Youngerman, Malak M. Tfaily, Laura K. Meredith, Green infrastructure influences soil health: Biological divergence one year after installation, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 801, 2021, 149644, ISSN 0048-9697, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149644.
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