IN THIS ISSUE: GWAICC Special Meeting, Webinar Recap, APW-Water Professionals, Water and Agriculture, MAR Conference
Climate and Arizona’s Future: A Conversation About the Nexus Between Environment, Economy, and Innovation
Register Now for October 1 Panel Discussion

The Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) is pleased to announce our participation in the webinar Climate and Arizona’s Future: A Conversation About the Nexus Between Environment, Economy, and Innovation on Thursday, October 1, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., MST. A lively panel discussion will focus on the ways changing climate conditions in Arizona impact the state’s water supplies, environment, economic outlook, and quality of life. Panelists are Sharon B. Megdal, Director, UArizona WRRC, Ted Maxwell, President and CEO, Southern Arizona Leadership Council, and Joaquin Ruiz, Vice President, UArizona Global Environmental Futures and Director, Biosphere 2.

Speakers will highlight how adaptation and innovation efforts contribute to maintaining water security and ensuring Arizona remains a thriving place to live and work and key opportunities for decision-makers to prioritize and support these efforts. Doran Arik Miller, a public policy consultant specializing in water, energy, and natural resources, will moderate the discussion and following audience questions.

This event is sponsored by UArizona WRRC, Southern Arizona Leadership Council, and UArizona Biosphere 2 and is free and open to the public. Sign-up is required.

WRRC EVENTS
Upcoming Webinars

Oct. 22 – Water for Nature
Kristen Wolfe, Coordinator, Sustainable Water Workgroup

Nov. 13 – Coronavirus Response at the Central Arizona Project
Ted Cooke, General Manager, Central Arizona Project

Nov. 18 – Bureau of Reclamation Programs Supporting Arizona Tribes
Kevin Black, Program Manager, US Bureau of Reclamation 

Dec. 2 – Balancing Water for People and Nature: The Upper San Pedro River
Scott Deeny, Arizona Water Program Lead, The Nature Conservancy
Holly Richter, Arizona Water Projects Director, The Nature Conservancy
NEWS
Special Meeting of the GWAICC Features Presentations from Tribal Leaders

September has been a busy month for the Governor’s Water Augmentation, Innovation and Conservation Council (GWAICC). After a COVID-19 imposed hiatus since their March 13 meeting, the council held a special virtual meeting on September 10 to hear from tribal leadership on tribal water rights and water settlements. In the three-hour public meeting, the council heard presentations from nine of Arizona’s 22 federally recognized Tribes. The presentations were an opportunity for the full council and other elected officials at the meeting to hear tribal perspectives on these important issues. In addition to the special meeting, GWAICC held a regularly scheduled meeting on September 15 to hear updates from the council's committees. Agendas, webinar recordings, and other materials from both meetings are available to the public on the GWAICC website and linked below.

Image source: Jay Weiner on behalf of the Tonto Apache Tribe

Web-based “Water Blueprint” Explained in WRRC Brown Bag Webinar

Last Thursday, two speakers from the ASU Kyl Center for Water Policy introduced the new Arizona Water Blueprint, an online water data hub and information resource. Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center, and Susan Craig, who navigated the Blueprint’s two-year development process, provided a comprehensive overview. Porter spoke about ASU’s motivation for taking on this project, the principles and process behind it, and goals for the future. Craig took attendees on a tour of its components and special features. Users can find data on specific locations through a map-based interface and access in-depth information from story maps, as well as a new state-of-knowledge synthesis on water resource augmentation options. Data hounds have a one-stop source for data collected from Arizona’s state agencies with water-related authority, including water supply, water quality, and water infrastructure data. Audience questions and comments probed the Blueprint’s capabilities and longevity, pointed out data gaps, and offered suggestions for improvements. As both speakers emphasized, the Blueprint is here for the long term. It will always be a work in progress, so all questions and comments are welcome. 

Water Professionals: Our Essential Workers

While we have all been vigorously washing our hands to help stop the spread of COVID-19, water treatment professionals work around the clock to keep our water flowing. Water professionals are essential workers! To help get the word out about Arizona water workers, Wednesday, September 23rd marked the launch of a statewide campaign to Thank a Water Worker (#ThankAWaterHero, #WaterHeros). 

APW strongly supports our Arizona Water Heros (#AZWaterHeros). We are currently featuring Water Professional Careers on our blog. Please check it out and contact us if you are a water professional or if there are water careers you would like to learn more about.

As water departments across the nation struggle to maintain staffing levels due to baby boomers retiring, APW is taking on the challenge to engage students in this topic virtually. We are 1) developing a Water Career Symposium for students across Arizona and 2) showcasing water careers and facility operations in the end-of-unit celebrations for 4th graders participating in the Arizona Water Festival program. Let us know if you can help.

Contact Kerry at kls4@arizona.edu
Arizona Cooperative Extension Delivers Water and Agriculture Information to Pinal County

WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal spoke about "The Drought Contingency Plan and the Impacts to Pinal County Farmers" at a virtual workshop on this timely topic. The September 18, 2020 workshop was organized by the Arizona Association of Conservation Districts, an organization established by Arizona's Conservation Districts in 1944 to coordinate and fund conservation efforts across Arizona. The presentation explained the different priorities of water delivered by the Central Arizona Project and the impacts of Colorado River shortage tiers on water available to Pinal Active Management Area farmers. Due to less-than-expected surface water being delivered between now and 2026, irrigation districts are increasing their groundwater pumping capacity. Farmers face some difficult choices as less surface water is available, with one option being growing different crops, such as guayule. On this very topic, Blase Evancho of UArizona Cooperative Extension in Pima and Pinal Counties is inviting participants to the collaboratively organized Guayule Field Day, which will be held virtually on Thursday, October 15, 2020. Anyone interested in desert agriculture and learning more about guayule can sign up for this Zoom meeting here.

WRRC Graduate Research Assistants to Present at Managed Aquifer Recharge Conference

WRRC Graduate Assistants Rebecca Bernat (Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Science) and Mary Belle Cruz Ayala (Ph.D. Candidate in Arid Lands Resource Science) will be presenting their research at the 17th Biennial Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge (BSMAR17). The conference will be held virtually on October 5-9, 2020 and is open to the public. BSMAR17 is jointly sponsored by the Arizona Hydrological Society and the Groundwater Resources Association of California. The conference will feature technical workshops, a plenary session focused on Managed Aquifer Recharge in California, and technical sessions about water resources management, governance, and more.

On October 7, Bernat will be presenting her analysis of Arizona's water credit transactions in a talk entitled “Long-Term Storage Credits: Analyzing Market-based Transactions for Achieving Water Management Goals in Central Arizona,” based on an article published with co-authors Dr. Sharon Megdal and Dr. Susanna Eden. On October 9, Cruz Ayala will be presenting “Managed Aquifer Recharge in Mexico and Science-Policy Interactions,” highlighting her new work, also with Dr. Megdal, examining the role that researchers and other actors have played in implementing recharge projects.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
PUBLICATIONS
The Future Hydrology of the Colorado River Basin, Center for Colorado River Studies, Utah State University - Read the Two-Page Brief - Read the Complete Paper