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October 25, 2019 / Volume 7, Issue 26
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Bruce Babbitt To Present Keynote
at WRRC 2020 Conference
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We are very excited to announce that Bruce Babbitt will present the opening keynote at the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center's 2020 Conference, Water at the Crossroads: The Next 40 Years. W
e cannot think of a better launch to the day's dialogue! Babbitt has deep roots in Arizona. He was born and raised in Flagstaff, served as Attorney General of Arizona from 1975 to 1978, and then served as the state's governor from 1978 to 1987. As Governor, he negotiated and guided passage of the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act, oversaw the creation of the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, and propelled a major expansion of the state park system. His connection to our state's water management history gives him a unique perspective on whether our groundwater management picture today measures up to early expectations, and going forward, what do we need to address in the next 40 years. Save the date, March 27th, to hear Babbitt's thoughts and to join in a lively discussion about how our water resources are changing, what water decisions are being made around the state, and how we can stay on track to achieve long-term resilience. The conference will be held on Friday, March 27, 2020, at the Black Canyon Conference Center (9440 N 25th Ave, Phoenix, AZ).
Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore
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WRRC Brown Bag - Will Desalination Resolve the Israeli-Arab Water Conflicts? - And if not, Why?
October 28, 2019
Speaker: Eran Feitelson, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Time/Location: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., Marshall 531 845 N Park Ave, Tucson, AZ
(please note special time and location)
The water conflicts between Israel and its neighbors are often viewed as a zero-sum game; however, that view is outdated. Mutually beneficial options exist when the parties realize that they have much in common in terms of protecting shared resources. Beyond the options to conserve water and recycle wastewater, the total supply can be augmented by desalination. Indeed, Israel has embarked on a large-scale desalination program, which today supplies almost a third of Israel's freshwater consumption. For Israel and Jordan, desalination underpins the proposals for a Red-Dead canal to convey desalinated seawater to Amman. This presentation examines the role of desalination in resolving regional water issues.
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The Economic Impact of Arizona's Rivers, Lakes, and Streams: How Water-based Outdoor Recreation Contributes to State and Local Economies
November 8, 2019
Speaker: Haley Paul, Policy Manager Audubon Arizona
Time/Location: 12:00 - 1:15 p.m.,
WRRC Sol Resnick Conference Room (350 N. Campbell Ave.)
Audubon Arizona commissioned a report to evaluate the economic contributions of the water in Arizona's rivers, lakes, and streams. In order to conserve and protect the waterways we care about, Audubon wanted to make the economic case for why their demise-due to drought, diversions, and a changing climate-would be devastating for Arizona. Outdoor recreation along Arizona's waterways is a thriving industry and includes fishing, wildlife watching, picnicking, camping, and hiking. These activities annually generate $13.5 billion in economic output and support 114,000 jobs statewide.
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WRRC Event - Know About Your Water Green Valley-Sahuarita
November 1, 2019
Time/Location: 10:00 a.m. - noon, Sahuarita Town Council Chambers, 375 W. Sahuarita Center Way, Sahuarita, AZ
November 16, 2019
Time/Location: 10:00 a.m. - 11:30, Green Valley Recreation (GVR) East Campus, 7 South Abrego Dr., Green Valley, AZ
Everything you wanted to know about water resources in the Green Valley-Sahuarita area will be touched on in these interactive presentations. The culmination of a project funded by the Freeport McMoRan Community Investment Program, this presentation offers neutral, independent information on water supplies, uses, and quality, as well as community and individual actions to conserve and augment water resources in the region.
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Upcoming Brown Bags
- November 19, Betsy Wilkening, Ladd Keith, Nicole Iroz-Elardo, UA/APW, and CAPLA, "Heat Mapping"
- December 4, Laura Condon, Assistant Professor, UA/HAS, "Effects of Groundwater Pumping"
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 WRRC and UA Extension Present About Water in Maricopa County
Arizona Runs on Water - Water 101 took place at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension office in Phoenix Thursday evening, October 17. WRRC Associate Director Claire Zucker and Assistant Director Susanna Eden gave a presentation on Maricopa County water resources. Director Sharon B. Megdal attended and answered some of the many audience questions. The presentation was wide ranging, covering water law, use, supply, infrastructure, quality, shortage, climate and more. Agriculture and turf irrigation were only touched on, as they will be talked about in more detail in the next two presentations in the Arizona Runs on Water series, co-sponsored by Maricopa County Cooperative Extension. A light supper, provided by UA Cooperative Extension, was enjoyed by all who attended.
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Water and the Law Highlighted at WRRC Brownbag
Hebrew University of Jerusalem Law Department faculty member Itzchak Kornfeld, Ph.D. presented a lively and provocative brownbag seminar at the WRRC on October 23rd, entitled "You've Got it All Wrong About Water." He described how the U.S. Supreme Court utilized the legal doctrine of equitable allocation to decide a variety of water disputes in the Western U.S. Cases discussed included Arizona v. California addressing water distribution of the Colorado River, Kansas v. Colorado, which was about water distribution on the Arkansas River, and Wyoming v. Colorado which addressed water distribution on the Laramie River. He also provided a historical backdrop to the evolution of the law and the role of the Supreme Court Justices in these high profile decisions. Finally, he discussed the need for building scientific expertise among judges for these types of cases as well as for those addressing air quality and climate change.
View the PowerPoint presentation here
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Slowing, Spreading, and Sinking the Rain in South Tucson Schools
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Ask any student what happens when it rains at their schoolyard and you'll get a few variations of the same story. Students report the deluge coming off the rooftop, the lake-like puddles, and the rushing streams of runoff eroding the soil away. The bottom line is that rainwater is not being put to use. This school year, Arizona Project WET is teaming up with Sunnyside Unified School District's 7th-grade science teachers to challenge students to make better use of all that rainwater by designing rainwater harvesting systems that nourish trees, beautify their campuses, and create living laboratories for students to learn in for years to come. As part of this curriculum, APW water educators are currently engaging 1,200 Sunnyside 7th grade students in investigations to better understand how water flows off of different surfaces. Through this learning, they are identifying the variables that go into rainwater supply calculations. Hands on learning like this inspires students to apply their knowledge and empowers them to take action.
More information about APW
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Elia Tapia
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WRRC Participates in Science Diplomacy Conference
Science diplomacy is the use of scientific collaborations to address common problems and to build constructive international partnerships. We expect diplomacy to occur in Geneva or Brussels, but this week it happened here in Tucson. The University of Arizona Science, Health and Engineering Policy and Diplomacy Initiative (SPDI) hosted a two-day conference entitled "Sustainable Development for the Americas" on October 23-25 at UA. The event emphasized topics such as global change, arid environments, water security and governance, trans-boundary conflict and cooperation, urban and rural resilience, and public health within the geographical scope of the Americas. Many UA faculty, researchers, students, and program managers contributed and participated in the event. WRRC Director Sharon Megal and WRRC Sr. Research Specialist, Ph.D. candidate Elia Tapia, were panelists for a "Hydrodiplomacy in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region" session, and Dr. Megal also presented a talk in a "Science and Diplomacy in the Middle East" session.
The full program can be found here
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