An updated agenda for our July 12-14 Annual Conference, Arizona’s Agricultural Outlook: Water, Climate, and Sustainability, has been posted! The agenda features a wide range of speakers and panelists, representing the amazing diversity of Arizona agriculture. Day 1 will be held in person at the University of Arizona Student Union on Tuesday, July 12 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Arizona time. After a welcome from WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Cooperative Extension Interim Director Ed Martin, the program will include opening remarks from Arizona Department of Agriculture Director Mark Killian, a morning Keynote by UArizona Agronomist and Extension Specialist Jeff Silvertooth, and a two-part session of highlight talks on ranching, the dairy industry, Tribal agriculture, heritage crops, regenerative and community farming, and much more! In the afternoon, A.G. Kawamura, co-chair of Solutions from the Land, and Uri Shani, former director of the Israel Water Authority and chairman and chief technology officer of N-Drip, will each give keynote presentations. The afternoon also features a panel on advancing sustainable practices, then concludes with a session sharing stories of agriculture in Arizona. Days 2 and 3 will be held virtually on Zoom, with sessions from 9:00 am to noon. Wednesday’s programming will include panels on drought adaptation, innovative partnerships, and water policy. Thursday’s sessions will look to the future, with topics including public health and Arizona’s agricultural outlook. Check out the agenda for more information on our exciting three-day conference!

Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 pm Eastern Time

Location: Webinar Only

Sharon B. Megdal, WRRC Director and AWRA Board Member

Jul 12-14: WRRC 2022 Annual Conference: Arizona’s Agricultural Outlook: Water, Climate, and Sustainability

Summer break is a good time for reading. Although fiction is my preferred genre, I was eager to read the fourth and latest book by William M. and Rosemarie Alley, The Water Recycling Revolution: Tapping into the Future, which was published in April 2022. Memorial Day weekend, often considered the beginning of summer activities, turned out to be a good time for me to read the volume, which fills an important gap for water experts and the general public by providing an excellent primer on the history, current status, and future of water recycling. 

Former WRRC Research Analyst Jacob D. Petersen-Perlman (now at East Carolina University), Tecnológico de Monterrey Professor Ismael Aguilar-Barajas, and WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal published an article in Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, titled “Drought and Groundwater Management: Interconnections, challenges, and policy responses.” The article explores the interconnection of drought and groundwater — two issues that are typically viewed as independent from one another — and discusses future directions for water management. The authors discuss the socioeconomic, environmental, and political impacts of these issues and point out the delay in management changes in response to evolving scientific understanding, noting “[w]hile advances have been made in several areas … it appears that governance advancements lag for drought and groundwater.” They also address the importance of clear messaging about water, concluding that “there is the pressing need to find better ways to communicate groundwater issues during droughts.”

In the summertime, nothing is more refreshing than water. Whether you’re drinking it, gardening with it, swimming in it, or enjoying other aquatic activities, water revitalizes the body and spirit. Summer is also a great time for educators to immerse themselves in an even deeper understanding of this precious Arizona resource. APW’s Aqua STEM program will be leading three professional development workshops focused on critically thinking about our water resources on June 28, 29, & 30. These units have been freshly redesigned and shortened to optimize delivery. Join us for the Riparian Field Investigation (RFI) to learn how vital our wetland areas are while engaging students in an authentic field research experience. Discover Arizona’s unique water resources in the Waters of Arizona (WOA) workshop, which includes designing and engineering a model of the Central Arizona Project canal. Kick off the workshop series by learning a form of System Thinking that is incorporated into several of our classroom lessons. To learn more, contact Sandra Hurlbut at shurlbut@arizona.edu or register online.

At the end of the day on Tuesday, WRRC staff member Michael Seronde finally installed the final sections of piping and the last few fixtures for his new rainwater harvesting system at home. Now, the only task left to do is clean a year’s worth of mesquite leaves from the gutters and wait for the rain. June 15 is the official start of the Arizona Monsoon season, as defined by the National Weather Service. However, according to UArizona Climate Scientist Mike Crimmins, here in southern Arizona, the rains typically don’t start until early July. This year, “the models are suggesting that we'll have monsoon activity show up maybe a little bit early and maybe robustly in July.” Crimmins predicts the monsoon will be wetter than average, but just slightly. So, as Seronde and many others throughout Arizona are eagerly awaiting the monsoon rains, now is the time to dive into many resources available to make the most of the precipitation when it arrives. For example, customers of Tucson Water can take advantage of their Rainwater Harvesting Rebate program, which rebates up to $2,000 towards active and passive rainwater catchment systems. Recharge the Rain, a collaboration between Watershed Management Group and Arizona Project WET, provides information for teachers and communities on how to build rain gardens and rainwater catchment basins. Many additional resources are available on the WRRC’s Desert Water Harvesting Initiative resource page.

UArizona Director, Cooperative Extension Job Listing

The University of Arizona seeks a strategic and innovative leader to be the next Director of the UArizona Cooperative Extension System (CES).

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

The latest issue of the Renewable Resources Journal is now available as a free download, featuring an article by WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal titled "Water Policy Options as Arizona Adapts to a Drier Colorado River: A Perspective." Click here to download RNRF's public policy journal.

Petersen-Perlman, Jacob D.; Aguilar-Barajas, Ismael; Megdal, Sharon B. 2022. “Drought and Groundwater Management: Interconnections, challenges, and policy responses” Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, In Press, Journal Pre-proof.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2022.100364