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IN THIS ISSUE: UN Water Conference, TAAP Research Analyst, NVIS Recap, Marie Pearthree, APW, ADWR | |
University of Arizona to Participate in
Historic UN Water Conference
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The UN 2023 Water Conference, scheduled for March 22–24, 2023, will bring together over 6,500 people from across the globe. Only the second UN water conference (the first was held in 1977 in Argentina), the three-day event is co-hosted by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Tajikistan. It is no accident that the conference is scheduled to coincide with World Water Day on March 22. Organizations across the globe are engaging in events to mark this day. The many sessions and side events at the UN Water Conference will showcase the global momentum for addressing the broad challenges surrounding water, particularly efforts to further achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, “Ensure access to water and sanitation for all.” WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal will attend, along with others participating through UArizona accreditation, including Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy Director Andrea K. Gerlak and UArizona graduate student Wilzave Quiles Guzmán. Megdal is involved in multiple sessions.
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WRRC Seminar Series: Water in Cochise County: Challenges and Solutions
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm Arizona Time
Location: Webinar Only
Speakers:
Mark Apel, Environmental Projects Coordinator, Cochise County Engineering and Natural Resources
Mary Ann Capehart, UArizona Water Wise Program, Retired
Taylor Simmon, WRRC Outreach Assistant & MS EHS student
As part of the WRRC's Seminar Series, we will be hosting a webinar titled Water in Cochise County: Challenges and Solutions. Water scarcity challenges in Cochise County have spurred various water management solutions and collaborative efforts over time. The WRRC’s Cochise County Water Factsheet, published in 2022, is a concise, four-page resource providing an overview of the county’s water topics. For this webinar, Cochise County Factsheet Technical Advisory Committee members and water experts Mark Apel and Mary Ann Capehart will build off the information presented in the factsheet and expand on regional water management initiatives. After an introduction of the Arizona Water Factsheet Initiative by WRRC Outreach Assistant Taylor Simmons, Capehart will cover the factors that led to the citizen-initiated AMA and the future implications of this designation, as determined by the Arizona Department of Water Resources. Then, Apel will share the collaborative water conservation projects of the Cochise County Conservation and Recharge Network. These innovative projects are designed to help sustain San Pedro River flows and the groundwater on which our local communities and the river depend.
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WRRC Seeks TAAP Research Analyst
The WRRC is currently hiring for the position of Research Analyst for its Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP). This newly created position will involve project research focused on investigating the socio-economic dimensions of transboundary aquifers in the US and Mexico and the impact of contrasting modes of governance in shared groundwater resources, writing journal articles and reports, giving presentations, and identifying opportunities for collaboration and organizing meetings with partners in the US and Mexico. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional level experience, fluency in Spanish, basic knowledge of geographical information systems (GIS), and a minimum of three years of relevant work experience, including interacting with government agencies and officials and conducting survey research. Preferred qualifications include a master’s or PhD in a water resources field, experience with conducting research related to groundwater in arid regions or water governance and management in the US and Mexico, and knowledge related to TAAP. This position will work with TAAP PI Sharon B. Megdal, who serves as WRRC director and is a professor in the UArizona Department of Environmental Science, other TAAP team members, and project collaborators from various universities and agencies in the US and Mexico. The position is available immediately for two years, with third-year funding dependent on successful progress.
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WRRC Co-Hosts Webinar on Indigenous Food Sovereignty
As part of the Native Voices in STEM series, on March 1, 2023, Dr. Ruth Plenty Sweetgrass-She Kills gave a presentation titled “Food Sovereignty for the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara People." Plenty Sweetgrass-She Kills is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes: Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations, located in South Dakota, where she is the Food Sovereignty director at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish Tribal College. In her presentation, Plenty Sweetgrass-She Kills, a descendant of Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine, explained the Three Affiliated Tribes and how they banded together through historical trauma. She also described how food systems are knowledge that Tribes have carried for a long time. Dr. Plenty Sweetgrass-She Kills explained that all Tribes need to work across communities to strengthen food sovereignty.
Image: Nataliya Vaitkevich
NVIS Seminar Series Recordings
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Remembering Marie Pearthree
The WRRC joins the Arizona water community in mourning the loss of Marie Pearthree, who died on February 22, 2023. Marie Slezak Pearthree was born on December 17, 1955, in Indianapolis, IN. After traveling widely with her family to various State Department postings, she attended Oberlin College in Ohio, majoring in Geology, and later went on to earn an MS in Geosciences from UArizona and become a Professional Engineer (Civil). During her 40-year career in the water industry, she held several influential positions, including with Pima County, the City of Tucson, and the Central Arizona Project (CAP). She received the City of Tucson Public Service Excellence Award in 2003 and the George Warren Fuller Award from the AZ Water Association/American Water Works Association in 2018.
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Planting the Rain with Students in Flagstaff
In Northern Arizona, communities face climate-driven challenges of drought, flooding, and wildfires. Arizona Project WET (APW) and the City of Flagstaff, through a continuing partnership, are working together to face these challenges and achieve sustainable environmental stewardship in the community by building rain basins. This project introduces a way of conserving water beyond conventional means, using rain basins to slow and sink runoff to support native plants and divert flood water away from buildings. This project includes installing two rain basins—one at a school and one at the Arboretum of Flagstaff—and distributing seed balls with native, drought-tolerant seeds to families who participated in education events & festivals. By harnessing the powers of “Plant Superheroes,” students designed rain basins that nurture native plants and conserve water. On planting day, they painted rock markers to show the water needs of each plant and made signs for reference and interpretation. The demonstration rain basin was showcased by creating a “Plant Superhero Storywalk,” bringing the lessons learned to the larger community. These kinds of hands-on learning experiences provide tomorrow’s watershed stewards with the skills and experience they need to mitigate climate change and build community resilience.
Image: Lorie Cavalli
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ADWR Newsletter Shares Funding Opportunities
The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has a Statewide Planning newsletter “to notify stakeholders of funding opportunities related to infrastructure and water conservation funds that may be available to the public to assist in local water conservation and infrastructure projects.” The newsletter periodically provides information to subscribers about federal and state funding opportunities, many of which are facilitated by the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA) or the federal Bureau of Reclamation. Visit the ADWR website to learn more about Statewide Planning or to subscribe to receive ADWR newsletters.
Read ADWR's Latest Newsletter
More Info
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WRRC TAAP Research Analyst
The WRRC is currently hiring for the position of Research Analyst for its Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP). This newly created position will involve project research focused on investigating the socio-economic dimensions of transboundary aquifers in the US and Mexico and the impact of contrasting modes of governance in shared groundwater resources, writing journal articles and reports, giving presentations, and identifying opportunities for collaboration and organizing meetings with partners in the US and Mexico. More Info
WRRC Student Communications and Outreach Assistant (Hourly)
The WRRC is seeking a student employee with interest and experience in writing about water and/or environmental topics to assist with outreach communication. Applicants are encouraged to visit the WRRC website for more information on WRRC programs and activities. Accepting applications until the position is filled. More Info
Please visit WRRC's website for a complete listing of water jobs & opportunities.
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March 2, 2023, CAWCD Board Meeting Recap More Info
Dan Keppen Testimony to Committee on Natural Resources
On March 8, Family Farm Alliance Executive Director Dan Keppen gave testimony to the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources on the importance of managing water for multiple uses. His written testimony is available to read or download. View PDF
US Water Alliance Report
Advancing Water Equity in Small and Rural Communities: The Role of Digital Solutions View PDF
New UArizona Southwest Center Report
Toward Water-Resilient Agriculture In Arizona: Future Scenarios Addressing Water Scarcity In The Lower Colorado River Basin View PDF
New UArizona Cooperative Extension Publications
Passive Water Harvesting View PDF
Enterprise Budgets: Fallow, Southern Arizona View PDF
Enterprise Budgets: Alfalfa Hay Production, Flood Irrigated, Southern Arizona View PDF
Ecosystem Services Partnership Webinar
Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Water Resource Management – Tools, Policies, and Promising Pathways View the Recording
CAP Current Colorado River Conditions Dashboard More Info
Climate Adaptation Conservation Planning Database More Info
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NWRI Fellowship Program 2023-24
The NWRI fellowship program awards funds to graduate students who are conducting water research in the United States. The deadline to submit applications for 2023 fellowships is May 31, 2023. More Info
Haury Program Spring 2023 Graduate Student Native Pathway Awards
The Haury Program invites applications for its Spring 2023 Native Pathway Awards, supporting UArizona graduate student research in the areas of Tribal water sustainability and Native American and Indigenous resilience. Successful proposals may receive up to $20,000 per student and will be evaluated until funds are exhausted. Questions? Contact: nancypetersen@arizona.edu
More Info
UCOWR/NIWR Conference – Student Travel Awards
The National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) is sponsoring travel awards for students to attend the 2023 UCOWR/NIWR Annual Water Resources Conference, which will be held at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, June 13-June 15, 2023. One award will be given to a student from each NIWR region, selected randomly. Arizona is part of the Powell Consortium Region, which also includes California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. UCOWR, the Universities Council on Water Resources, is a consortium of academic institutions and affiliates invested in water resources research, education, and outreach. The WRRC is a member of NIWR and the University of Arizona is a member of UCOWR. The 2023 Conference will feature discussions of critical water issues, seeking to develop new and innovative collaborations and transdisciplinary solutions. Interested graduate students may apply to be entered into the award drawing using the form linked below. Students must be currently enrolled at an institution of higher education (this includes community colleges). One student per NIWR region will be selected at random. The award for the winning student from the Power Consortium Region will be $1,200 and will come as a direct payment stipend. The deadline to apply is Friday 3/17/23 at 4:00 pm EST. Those selected will be notified via email by April 1, 2023.
Public Notice: Public Water System Supervision Program Revision for the State of Arizona
On March 2, 2023, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the revised Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) Program under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) by adopting regulations to implement the federal Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR). Any interested party may request a public hearing from EPA on this determination. More Info
CLEAN International Worldwide Walk for Water
Make a move for water and log your miles! Worldwide people are working to log 10 million miles for clean water this March. You can walk, run, bike, row, paddle, and more! Raise awareness and funds to help end the walk for families in need. More Info
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