IN THIS ISSUE: Reflections–World Water Day, Conference Recap, TAAP, APW, NVIS Recap | | |
Reflections on World Water Day 2024 | |
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This Reflections essay is being published on March 22, which is World Water Day. UN-Water, which coordinates the United Nations’ work on water and sanitation issues, designates a World Water Day theme each year, and this year’s theme is Water for Peace. The UN-Water webpage features these points related to the Water for Peace theme, which I quote:
- Water can create peace or spark conflict.
- When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have unequal, or no access, tensions can rise between communities and countries.
- More than 3 billion people worldwide depend on water that crosses national borders. Yet, only 24 countries have cooperation agreements for all their shared water.
- As climate change impacts increase, and populations grow, there is an urgent need, within and between countries, to unite around protecting and conserving our most precious resource.
- Public health and prosperity, food and energy systems, economic productivity and environmental integrity all rely on a well-functioning and equitably managed water cycle.
- When we cooperate on water, we create a positive ripple effect – fostering harmony, generating prosperity and building resilience to shared challenges.
- We must act upon the realization that water is not only a resource to be used and competed over – it is a human right, intrinsic to every aspect of life.
- This World Water Day, we all need to unite around water and use water for peace, laying the foundations of a more stable and prosperous tomorrow.
Taken together, these bullet points convey the significant global water challenges. At the same time, they focus on the importance of acting together to lay “the foundations of a more stable and prosperous tomorrow.”
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WRRC Water Webinar: World Water Day Reflections
Date: Friday, March 22, 2024
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm Arizona Time
Location: Webinar Only
Speaker: Sharon B. Megdal, Director, Water Resources Research Center, University of Arizona
With Special Guests:
- Gwendena Lee-Gatewood, Indigenous Women’s Leadership Network
- Kash Siddiqi, Former Footballer and Football for Peace Co-founder
- Emily Brooks, Lead for Football for Peace’s Rehydrate the Earth Campaign
Moderator: Jamie McEvoy, Incoming Associate Director, Water Resources Research Center, University of Arizona
Join us as WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal hosts a special World Water Day Reflections webinar to commemorate World Water Day. After offering some reflections about cooperation and networking, she will introduce special guest speakers. Gwendena Lee-Gatewood’s reflections will connect to the Indigenous Women’s Leadership Network and her participation in the Women in Water Diplomacy Network’s Second Global Forum, which was held earlier this month in Vienna, Austria. Then we will hear from Kash Siddiqi and Emily Brooks, who will discuss Football for Peace’s global rehydrate the earth campaign, which included a March 21 event on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The webinar will wrap up with interactive discussion moderated by Jamie McEvoy.
Register Here
More Info
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WRRC Special Event: Water Resources Planning for the Future: Local Strategies for Sustainable Management in the Prescott AMA
Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Time: 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm Arizona Time
Location: Adult Center of Prescott (Front Ballroom)
11280 E. Rosser Street, Prescott, AZ
The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC), in partnership with Yavapai County Cooperative Extension, The Nature Conservancy, and APS, is pleased to host an in-person event in Prescott, titled Water Resources Planning for the Future: Local Strategies for Sustainable Management in the Prescott AMA. This free event will feature speakers from the Prescott AMA, with presentations from the City of Prescott, Town of Prescott Valley, Town of Chino Valley, and Yavapai County, highlighting innovative management approaches to stormwater, wastewater, effluent reuse, and recharge, focusing on collaboration for regional water solutions. Come discover how local governments are working towards a sustainable water future through diverse supply management, water augmentation projects, and watershed protection. We warmly invite the public to engage in this conversation and learn more about collective efforts to address water challenges in the Prescott AMA.
Image: Sargun Bhatia – WRRC 2023 Photo Contest
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Upcoming WRRC Co-sponsored Events
External Events
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WRRC 2024 Conference Was a Success!
The WRRC 2024 Annual Conference, Water Solutions Through Partnerships, which took place last week, highlighted examples of collaborations that are successfully addressing Arizona’s water issues. The event was well-attended, with 246 in-person attendees, and 406 others joining virtually on Zoom.
University scientists and students, government officials, journalists, industry representatives, and members of non-governmental organizations spoke about their work, focusing on the value of partnerships. The conference was dedicated to the late Thomas Meixner, who was a hydrologist, professor, and head of the UArizona Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences (HAS). It began with shared remembrances, and his inclusive and collaborative approach to solving water-related challenges pervaded the entire event. Keynote speakers, including Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor of the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC), noted the value of working together on securing Arizona’s water future. Sessions and panels highlighted collaborations across multiple projects and programs, presented multiple perspectives on solutions to water issues, provided updates on water-related activities from state agencies, and featured strategies for financing the implementation of solutions, all within the context of partnerships.
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IBWC Citizens Forum Receives
TAAP Update
On Tuesday, March 19, the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum held a public meeting at which WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal gave an invited presentation on the status of the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP). After a quick overview of the history of the program, she pointed to the importance of the “Joint Report of the Principal Engineers Regarding the Joint Cooperative Process United States-Mexico for the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program” in guiding the binational effort. She spoke about TAAP studies and resulting publications, including the 2016 report on the San Pedro aquifer and a report on the Santa Cruz aquifer, which is nearing finalization. She also referred to the Special Issue of the journal Water, titled “Advances in Transboundary Aquifer Assessment,” which includes articles from many TAAP collaborators. The presentation provided an overview of the five-year strategic plan for TAAP and a status update on the request for congressional reauthorization. Megdal concluded by highlighting some of the opportunities and challenges in binational aquifer assessment. The presentation, which includes links to many of the cited reports and publications, is posted on the WRRC’s TAAP website.
Image: Jacob Petersen-Perlman
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Making a Splash at the WRRC Conference
From an Inside Perspective: Zakkai Markowitz, Program Coordinator. Arizona Project WET
I had the privilege of attending the Water Resources Research Center's annual conference for the first time this year, and I had a fantastic experience. As a lifelong desert dweller and passionate environmentalist, I was fascinated to hear so many different perspectives on our most crucial resource – water! Seeing the hard work that members of our community are doing daily in service of water conservation here in Arizona was both humbling and inspiring.
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NVIS Seminar Explores Cultural Burning
In the second seminar of the Spring 2024 Indige-FEWSS Native Voices in STEM (NVIS) series, co-sponsored by the WRRC, Dr. Deniss Martinez explored cultural burning in California and efforts to revitalize the practice. Martinez, an environmental justice scholar, described cultural burning broadly as the intentional use of fire by Indigenous communities to meet cultural objectives. These burning practices help to foster culturally important relationships between Indigenous communities and the natural world around them. Early 19th-century forest management policies, however, prohibited fires and led to the suppression of cultural burning. With the lack of fire, Indigenous communities lost access to important traditional foods and fibers, as well as significant cultural and ceremonial moments involving fire. Today, Indigenous practitioners are leading the movement for the return of fire to landscapes. Through workshops and other efforts, the Keepers of the Flame project aims to bring together students, community members, researchers, policymakers, and Indigenous fire practitioners to raise awareness about cultural burning.
View the Recording
NVIS Spring Seminar Series
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104(b) & 104(g) GRANT PROGRAMS | |
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WRRC Invites Research Proposals for 104(b) & 104(g) Programs
Faculty and research personnel at any of Arizona's three public universities are invited to submit research proposals to the WRRC for federal 104(b) grants of up to $10,000 or competitive 104(g) grants of up to $310,000. Grant funds are provided by the Water Resources Research Act through the US Geological Survey (USGS). For more information, visit the web pages below or email Jessie Hampton (jessiehampton@arizona.edu).
104(b) Grant Info Proposal EXTENDED Deadline: March 27, 2024
104(g) Grant Info Proposal Deadline: March 27, 2024
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WATER JOBS & OTHER OPPORTUNITIES | |
Please visit WRRC's website for a complete listing of water jobs and opportunities. | |
NOTICES, PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA | |
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From the WRRC
Q&A: Water Resources Research Center Collaborates Globally
From Arizona to the Middle East, WRRC partnerships help farmers, ranchers, government agencies and many others manage a vital natural resource in the face of changing climate. UArizona Cooperative Extension’s Brad Poole interviewed WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal about collaborations. Read Here
Other Sources
Kasser Joint Institute Call for Pre-Proposals
The Kasser Joint Institute for Food, Water, and Energy Security (KJI), a partnership of Jewish National Fund-USA, the University of Arizona, and the Arava Valley in Israel, is committed to leveraging knowledge and research to empower communities in their pursuit of sustainable solutions. KJI is inviting collaborative ideas for solutions for food, water, and energy issues that can be implemented in developing countries and rely on the knowledge and experience of its partner institutions in the Arava region and the University of Arizona. The preproposal document linked here explains more about the process and includes a link to the submission form.
Water Conservation Field Services Program Funding Opportunity
The US Bureau of Reclamation's Water Conservation Field Services Program funding opportunity for the Lower Colorado Basin Region for fiscal year 2024 is posted on the grants.gov website (Funding Opportunity R24AS00252). Through this opportunity, entities may be awarded up to $100,000 in federal funding. A minimum of 50% non-federal cost share is required. Applications are accepted through June 3, 2024, at 4:00 PM (PDT).
Report: Groundwater Protection in the Valley of the Sun
A new report from ASU’s Kyl Center for Water Policy discusses the future of groundwater in the Phoenix Area. A webinar about the report will be held on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. Register for the Webinar or Read the Report.
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