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December 15, 2023 / Volume 11, Issue 36

The Water Resources Research Center - a research unit of the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences and an Extension unit in UA Cooperative Extension within the Division of Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences & Cooperative Extension.

Land Acknowledgement.

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IN THIS ISSUE: Student Posters, TAAP, KJZZ, Factsheet, Navajo Pottery
GIVE NOW

Student Poster Abstracts – Deadline Extended

to January 26

Are you a student or do you work with a student engaged in interesting water-related research? We have news for you! The deadline to submit an abstract for the WRRC 2024 Annual Conference student poster session has been extended until January 26, 2024. For this year’s conference, Implementing Water Solutions Through Partnerships, the WRRC seeks students from any Arizona educational institution to submit abstracts that highlight research, management, or community engagement projects relating to water in the Southwest. In-person attendance is required for the poster session, on the evening of Tuesday, March 12, 2024, following the first day of the conference program. Top student posters will receive cash prizes, and all student poster presenters will receive complimentary registration for the two-day conference. This session will provide an opportunity to network with leading researchers and professionals in the water industry and share your piece of Arizona’s water solutions. Send in your abstract today!


Image: Clayton B. Lyon. WRRC 2023 Conference

 

More Info  
 
EVENTS

Upcoming WRRC Co-Sponsored Events


Jan 30, 2024: Arizona Association of Women in Water & Agriculture (Wine, Women & Water Reception) – Co-sponsored by the WRRC


Jan 31, 2024: Arizona Association of Women in Water & Agriculture Annual Meeting – Co-sponsored by the WRRC


Feb 6: NVIS Spring 2024 Seminar: Indigenous Ingenuity: A Path Forward – Co-sponsored by the WRRC


Mar 12: NVIS Spring 2024 Seminar: Place Based Learning and Cultural Fire Practice in California – Co-sponsored by the WRRC


Apr 2: NVIS Spring 2024 Seminar: [Presentation title TBD] – Co-sponsored by the WRRC


May 7: NVIS Spring 2024 Seminar: Eleltek Waali (I'm Reading Country) – Co-sponsored by the WRRC

NEWS

Spanish Translations of TAAP Reauthorization Testimony Posted


Traducción al Español Aquí


On October 25, 2023, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal presented her testimony to the US House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries, regarding HR 5874. This bill amends the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act of 2006 by reauthorizing the United States-Mexico transboundary aquifer assessment program and modifying restrictions on the designation of additional transboundary aquifers of focus. During the hearing, it was emphasized that transboundary groundwater characterization is essential for assisting communities in shaping their water futures and for making more informed water management decisions. HR 5874, introduced by Arizona District 6 Representative Juan Ciscomani and co-sponsored by New Mexico District 1 Representative Melanie Stansbury, aims to facilitate the development of additional transboundary aquifer studies. These studies are much-needed and will provide valuable information regarding water quality and water quantity to decision-makers in the border communities of the United States and Mexico. A Reflections essay entitled “Testifying on Reauthorization of the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program” by Megdal can be found here. Megdal´s testimony on HR 5874 can be found here. For more information about the transboundary aquifer assessment program, please visit the TAAP website.


Image: Arizona District 6 Representative Juan Ciscomani and WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal at the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee legislative hearing on October 25, 2023.



WRRC Director Megdal Interviewed on

KJZZ Radio

 

On Thursday, December 14, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal was featured in an interview on KJZZ, a Phoenix-based NPR member radio station. She was interviewed alongside Nancy Caywood, of Caywood Farms, to talk about the future of agriculture in Arizona in light of decreasing water availability. Megdal and Caywood discussed some of the strategies farmers are using throughout the state, including on Caywood’s farm in Casa Grande, to adapt to use less water. Both an audio recording and a written transcript of the interview are available on the KJZZ website.


Image: Nate Boyle. Sharon Megdal and Nancy Caywood in KJZZ's studio.

 

KJZZ Interview

Did You Know?

 

Nearly all surface water in Yuma County comes from the Colorado River, which is the only source of water for communities located adjacent to the river. Most Colorado River water used in Yuma County is diverted at Imperial Dam into a network of approximately 226 miles of canals. These canals provide water for irrigation along the fertile floodplains of the Lower Colorado and Lower Gila Rivers, as well as to public and private water providers for municipal and industrial use. Agricultural production is the largest, most economically significant industry in Yuma County. It is one of the nation’s largest producers of winter vegetables, particularly leafy greens. During peak weeks in December, leafy greens from Yuma can represent between 80% to 95% of US weekly shipments. In a 40-acre plot of land, Yuma farmers produce nearly 6 million servings of vegetables. With all the combined acres, this equates to 1 billion pounds of lettuce per month or 170 million servings of lettuce per day. Want to learn more about water in Yuma County? Check out the factsheet and video at the links below.

 

Yuma County Water Factsheet

The Winter Salad Bowl

Water Filtration Research Combines Navajo Pottery with Nanomaterials


A recently published article in the journal Environmental Science & Technology highlighted the development of a water filtration device that blends nanomaterials and traditional Navajo pottery. A research team at the University of Texas at Austin, working alongside a third-generation Navajo potter, developed ceramic water filters imbued with silver nanoparticles. Water is poured through the pottery, and the silver nanoparticles work to disinfect the water. To prevent the loss of these silver nanoparticles, resin from the local pinyon pine tree was also applied to the pottery. The resin was found to also prevent the silver nanoparticles from mixing with certain chemicals in the untreated water like chloride and sulfide, which can “poison” the silver and reduce the efficacy of the filters. Costing around $10 to make, the filters could become an effective and inexpensive method for disinfecting water in areas of the Navajo Nation that lack access to clean drinking water. The study also suggests that the use of locally sourced materials and traditional pottery could improve trust in the technology, leading it to be more widely adopted by people within the Navajo Nation.


Image: The University of Texas at Austin. A new water filtration solution involves lining clay pots with pinyon pine tree resin and incorporating tiny, silver-based particles, which removes bacteria and generates clean, drinkable water.


Read the Article

Happy Holidays!


The Weekly Wave is taking a little break. Our next issue will be published on January 5, 2024. See you next year!
WATER JOBS


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

NOTICES, PUBLICATIONS, and MEDIA

Western Water News Article: Colorado River Shortages Drive Major Advances

in Recycled Sewage Water Use

After more than two decades of drought, water utilities serving the largest urban regions in the arid Southwest are embracing a drought-proof source of drinking water long considered a supply of last resort: purified sewage. Read the Article


A Living River/Un Río Vivo, Nogales 2023

The Sonoran Institute's 2023 report on the conditions of the Santa Cruz River is now available in both English and Spanish. Read the Report

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