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IN THIS ISSUE:
104(b), Rodney B Lewis Scholars Award, 104(g), Factsheet, AZ Groundwater Law
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WRRC Invites Research Proposals
for 104(b) Program
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Faculty and research personnel at any of Arizona's three public universities are invited to submit research proposals to the WRRC for grants of up to $10,000. Grant funds are provided by the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA), Section 104(b) program, through the US Geological Survey. Proposals should feature student work and explore new ideas to address water problems in Arizona and the Southwest and expand understanding of water and related phenomena. Proposals from a broad range of academic disciplines and professional programs will be considered. Additionally, proposals that increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, and address issues in historically marginalized or underserved communities are highly encouraged. Last year, the WRRC funded four projects on a range of topics including adaptive grazing, low-energy desalination, flooding impacts, and karst aquifer modeling. Proposals are due by 5:00 PM Wednesday, February 22, 2023. Funded projects will start on September 1, 2023, contingent on congressional budget approval. For more information visit the webpage below or email Program Manager Michael Seronde (seronde@arizona.edu). For information on the other WRRA grant program administered by the WRRC, the National Competitive Section 104(g) Grants, click here.
Image: USGS
104(b) Program Info & Instructions
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Co-sponsored Event: Arizona Stakeholders’ Meeting USDA - NIFA Project: Sustaining Groundwater and Irrigated Agriculture in the Southwestern United States Under a Changing Climate
Date: Jan 24, 2023
Time: 10:00 am–1:00 pm Arizona Time
Location: Multi-purpose Room (Room 3), Maricopa Agricultural Center 37860 W Smith Enke Rd, Maricopa, AZ 85138
Zoom details: https://arizona.zoom.us/j/84263040710; Password: 646344
One tap mobile: +16027530140, 84263040710#
Enabled through a 5-year USDA-NIFA grant starting in September 2021, interdisciplinary researchers, extension specialists, and graduate students at four universities, along with the USDA, will collaborate to examine ways to sustain irrigated agriculture in the Southwestern United States. Discussion at this co-sponsored stakeholders' meeting will include the Vision for the Project from lead principal investigator and agricultural engineer Isaya Kisekka (UC-Davis), Arizona Project Scope from WRRC Director Sharon Megdal (UArizona), Hydrology/Groundwater Modelling Research Update from WRRC graduate research assistant Simone Williams (UArizona), Cover Crops and Soil Health Research Update from soil health specialist Debankur Sanyal (UArizona), and Technology for Irrigation Management from agricultural engineer Kelly Thorp (USDA-ARS), along with several Project Advisory Board Member perspectives and time for Q&A.
More Info
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WRRC Brown Bag Webinar: Silent River: Adventure Swimming and Stories of Water (Film Screening and Panel)
Date: Jan 26, 2023
Time: 12:00 pm–1:15 pm Arizona Time
Location: Webinar Only
Speakers:
Mathew Moseley, CEO, Ignition Strategy Group
Matt Rice, Senior Director, Southwest Program, American Rivers
“Silent River” is a short film following Matt Moseley, a world record-breaking long-distance swimmer, who attempts a 52-mile swim from Mineral Bottom, near Moab, down the Green River to the confluence with the Colorado River. Moseley embarks on a physically punishing athletic endeavor while battling the worst drought in history. “Silent River” is a piece about Matt’s triumphant attempt at a swim that’s never been done, but at its core, “Silent River” is about how our rivers are hurting due to drought, climate change, and overuse, and because of it all, we are hurting too. In this WRRC Brown Bag Webinar, we will view the 13-minute short film and be able to hear first-hand about Moseley's experience.
We have the solutions. We know we have to use less water – on the ag side, the municipal side – we just have to be willing to do it and have the political will to use less. It’s go time.
— Matt Rice, American Rivers Southwest Region Director
More Info
Register Here
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Applications Open for Rodney Blaine Lewis Scholars Award
Eligible University of Arizona students can now apply for the Rodney Blaine Lewis Scholars Award! The scholarship was established in honor of Rodney Blaine Lewis, a champion for Native American water rights in Arizona and inspiring community leader. The scholarship benefits enrolled members of Arizona Indian Tribes who are graduate students studying water law, policy, or a closely related field. Preference is given to students who are pursuing graduate degrees, enrolled full-time, and are members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, Gila River Indian Community, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, or Ak-Chin Indian Community. To apply, visit the UArizona Scholarship Universe, log in with a NetID, and search for the Rodney Blaine Lewis Scholars Award by name. Applications are due by April 3, 2023.
Apply Here
Support the Award Fund
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USGS National Competitive Grant Opportunity
The WRRC is now accepting proposals for the FY 2023 Water Resources Research Act, Section 104(g) National Competitive Grants Program. Grants will support research on water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature. The 104(g) grant funding is allocated into two categories (104(g) General and PFAS), each with its own research priorities and RFP. Any investigator at an institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply for a grant through a Water Research Institute or Center established under the Water Resources Research Act of 1984. The WRRC is the designated Water Resources Research Institute for Arizona. Proposals may be for projects of 1 to 3 years in duration and may request up to $250,000 in federal funds with a 1:1 non-federal match. Proposals that include a USGS collaborator as a co-PI are encouraged. Submitting preproposals to the WRRC is the first step in the process of applying for 104(g) program grants. Proposals must be submitted by email to Program Manager Michael Seronde (seronde@arizona.edu) prior to 5:00 PM MST, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Funds have not yet been appropriated for this program for FY 2023 and the Government's obligation under this program is contingent upon the availability of funds. Visit our website for program information and application guidance. More information on the other WRRA grant program administered by the WRRC, the Section 104(b) Small Research Grants, can be found here.
More Info
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Did You Know?
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) maintains an interactive e-map that displays the current status of surface water quality for many water bodies throughout Arizona. ADEQ was a main source of water quality data for the Arizona Water Factsheet Initiative, but anyone with an internet connection can explore these e-maps and find out more about different water quality issues, including impaired streams and lakes. Follow the links below to learn more!
Image: Ma Saad, Sedona, AZ, WRRC 2017 Photo Contest
ADEQ Map
Arizona Water Factsheets
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Initiatives Announced to Revisit Arizona’s Groundwater Law
The Governor’s Office is looking with fresh eyes at Arizona’s water management. In consequence, Governor Katie Hobbs announced the creation of the Governor’s Office of Resiliency. The new agency will focus on solutions to water, energy, and land use issues through coordination with stakeholders, including state agencies, Tribal governments, universities, NGOs, and water user organizations. In conjunction with this action, she issued an Executive Order establishing a Governor’s Water Policy Council to update the Arizona Groundwater Management Act in light of new conditions and bring statewide water management into the 21st Century. Notably, water expertise at Arizona’s universities is acknowledged by specifically listing the WRRC as a Council member organization, as well as the Kyl Center for Water Policy at ASU and the College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences at NAU. The refocusing of water management comes with a promise of transparency made good by the release of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) Lower Hassayampa Sub-basin 100-Year Assured Water Supply Projection. Although completed previously, study results were not released until now. Model projections for a 100-year period revealed conditions with similarities to those facing areas of Pinal County and elsewhere. The model study concludes that, because, over 100 years, the Lower Hassayampa sub-basin (Phoenix’s far West Valley) is projected to use 4.4 million acre-feet more than is legally and/or physically available, ADWR cannot approve groundwater dependent subdivisions in the basin. Updating groundwater management to deal effectively with such demand-supply imbalances will be a priority.
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Please visit WRRC's website for a complete listing of water jobs & opportunities.
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Director Megdal's Women in Science Interview
WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal was interviewed by Rosario Sanchez of the Permanent Forum of Binational Waters as part of their Women in Science interview series. Watch Video
Jan 5, 2023, CAWCD Board Meeting Recap
Five Maricopa County Board Members take office and Board celebrates General Manager Ted Cooke’s last Board meeting before retirement. More Info
Paper on Upper Colorado River Basin Water Availability Assessments
Tillman, Fred D, Natalie K. Day, Matthew P. Miller, Olivia L. Miller, Christine A. Rumsey, Daniel R. Wise, Patrick C. Longley, and Morgan C. McDonnell. 2022. "A Review of Current Capabilities and Science Gaps in Water Supply Data, Modeling, and Trends for Water Availability Assessments in the Upper Colorado River Basin" Water 14, no. 23: 3813. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14233813
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Surface Water Protection Program: Notice of Final Rulemaking
The Surface Water Protection Program (SWPP) Rule ensures Arizona’s most important waters are protected regardless of federal actions that may change the scope of surface water regulation in the future. The rule is due to be published in the January 27 issue of the Arizona Administrative Register and will be available on the Secretary of State's website. In the meantime, ADEQ has posted the Notice of Final Rulemaking. The effective date for the SWPP rule is February 20, 2023. More Info
Tucson Water One Water 2100 Survey
Please take the One Water 2100 public survey today and let Tucson Water know which water management strategies are most important to you. Water supply and conservation were the two top areas of concern identified through shareholder, technical partner, and public input. Now, your input is needed to help guide long-range decisions about water management practices and the Capital Improvement Program. The survey is open until January 31. More Info
UArizona Campus Sustainability Fund: Call for Mini Grant Proposals
The Campus Sustainability Fund invites all students, faculty, and staff members to submit proposals for the spring 2023 Mini Grant application cycle. Funding requests can range from $250 - $5,000. For the best chance at being funded, apply early. Each Mini Grant requires a Preliminary Application and a Final Application. Preliminary applications are due no later than February 19. Approved projects will be notified on a rolling basis. More Info
Feasibility Assessment Draft: Establishing New Instream Flow and Water Level Conservation Center
After two years of hard work, the Instream Flow Council and American Fisheries Society draft feasibility assessment to establish a national instream flow and water level conservation training and research center is now available for download and review. The Steering Committee is currently seeking public review and online feedback on this document from all interested stakeholders for accuracy, relevance, and need for this Center. The deadline for responses is February 6, 2023. More Info
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