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Apr 30, 2021 / Volume 9, Issue 17
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IN THIS ISSUE: Kerry Schwartz, Ashley Hullinger, GRIC, APW, Water Series, AWRA, WTI
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APW Director Kerry Schwartz Retires |
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At the end of June 2021, Kerry Schwartz, Associate Specialist and Director of Arizona Project WET will retire from the University of Arizona. Kerry started her position at the Water Resources Research Center nearly 22 years ago, after stating in the interview that this was her dream job. Since that time, she has worked tirelessly to create the impressively innovative, community-driven UArizona Extension water education program, Arizona Project WET (APW).
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Brown Bag Webinar - OpenET – Filling One of the Biggest Data Gaps in Water Management
Date: Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Time: 12:00 pm-1:15 pm MST
Speaker:
Robyn Grimm, Senior Manager - Water Information Systems, Environmental Defense Fund - Western Water Program
Sustainable water management is one of the most challenging issues of our time, especially in the arid western US. Maximizing the benefits of water supplies requires careful measurement of availability and use. However, one important information gap is compounding this challenge: the lack of consistent consumptive water use data for irrigated agriculture, which accounts for the majority of water use in the western US. To date, access to this data has been limited and expensive, keeping it out of the hands of most water users and decision-makers who could benefit from its use. OpenET aims to change this and support sustainable water management and innovation in water conservation. This talk will provide an introduction to the OpenET platform and the approach taken to its development and will demonstrate a few of its applications.
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Upcoming WRRC Events
Jun 17: Brown Bag Webinar - International Watersheds Coping with Climate Hazards; Twin-City Solutions at Ambos Nogales and San Diego–Tijuana
Laura M. Norman, Ph.D., Supervisory Research Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Geographic Science Center
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Retrospect: Establishing and Supporting Watershed Collaboration in Southern Gila County
Ashley Hullinger, WRRC Water RAPIDS Program Director, teamed up with Chris Jones, Gila County Cooperative Extension Agent, on April 22, to reflect on nearly six years of collaborative watershed planning work in the Globe-Miami area. The presentation, "Transforming Needs into Assets: Establishing a Watershed Partnership to Address Environmental and Economic Challenges," was part of Jones' Gila County Cooperative Extension Garden and Country Extension Webinar Series. The presentation focused on the WRRC's efforts to establish a watershed partnership in the Globe-Miami area, also known as Cobre Valley, in central Arizona. Starting with community dialogues and a stakeholder-driven needs assessment of the region, the creation of a watershed partnership was identified as a constructive step toward uniting environmental stewardship, community health, and economic benefits under a single umbrella. With broad support from stakeholders and local government, Cobre Valley communities applied for funding from the US Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART program. Two years later, the Cobre Valley Watershed Partnership (CVWP) is getting off the ground and working toward collaborative approaches to unique and persistent challenges, such as groundwater dependence and forest health. The WRRC is excited for what comes next in Southern Gila County!
Artwork by Carrie Curley
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MAR Benefits for the GRIC
A recent article published in The Water Report, titled, “The Gila River Indian Community’s Managed Aquifer Recharge Program,” demonstrates the multiple benefits of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) for the Gila River Indian Community (Community). The Southern Arizona Water Settlement Act of 2004 allocated 311,800 acre-feet of Central Arizona Project (CAP) water to the Community. The Community has developed two managed underground storage facilities (USF) where CAP water enters the aquifer through the Gila River's natural channels: the Olberg Dam USF in the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA) and the Cholla Mountain Managed USF in the Pinal AMA. These MAR projects contribute to riparian restoration efforts along several portions of the Gila River and enable the Community to recover stored CAP water instead of pumping groundwater for irrigation. In addition, the Community has developed markets for stored water (long-term storage credits) to generate revenue and to cover the cost of CAP water deliveries. This article was co-authored by Jason Hauter, an attorney at Akin Gump law firm and a member of the Community, and Peter Mock, a hydrologist and consultant at Peter Mock Groundwater Consulting, Inc.
Photo: Arizona Water Banking Authority
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A WET Adventure for Earth Day!
Last week, APW’s best friend and mascot, Drippy, hit the road and went on an exciting week-long adventure in celebration of Earth Day. Drippy traveled up and down the beautiful mountains of Tucson, Arizona, witnessing the many different biomes that the Santa Catalina Mountains have to offer. From Saguaro Cactus to Ponderosa Pine, Drippy experienced the heat of the desert floor, as well as the cold of the 9000-foot peaks, and joined our UA Wildcat Corps in discovering a refreshing waterfall. On Tuesday, Drippy made the long journey past the US border to Teotihuacán, near Mexico City. This ancient Aztec city is said to have worshipped water, and Drippy got to visit the site of some of the largest ancient pyramids of the world. On returning to Tucson, Drippy visited the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project to get a sense of what the river was like decades ago. Finally, Drippy spent Earth day on top of Mount Wrightson, just south of Tucson. The panoramic view was the perfect place to reflect on all the amazing things our Earth has to offer. After a long and awe-inspiring week, Drippy realized just how important water is to each of the places visited. Drippy wants to encourage everyone to take time to appreciate the Earth and its water, especially during Arizona’s Water Awareness Month. To see more of Drippy’s adventures, follow Arizona Project WET on Instagram!
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Water and COVID-19 in Indian Country
On Wednesday, April 21, the Arizona Institutes for Resilience, in partnership with the WRRC and the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, hosted the second episode of the "Water Solutions for Our Warmer World" webinar series. This session, “Water and COVID-19 in Indian Country,” featured a panel of Indigenous leaders and experts to discuss shared issues and concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on Native Nations.
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AZ Experts Well-Represented at Conference Connecting Land & Water
Two of Arizona’s water policy experts are the conference committee co-chairs for the upcoming AWRA Virtual Summer Conference Connecting Land & Water for Healthy Communities. Exploring the relations among water resources management, utility operations, and land use planning, the conference aims to foster "a new understanding and strengthened personal networking connections across disciplines and professions critical to water and community sustainability." The co-chairs, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy Director Jim Holway are also moderating conference sessions. Holway will lead a session titled, “Exploring Impacts and Opportunities at the Climate/Water/Land Use Interface,” and Megdal will lead a session titled, “Gila River Indian Community: Sovereignty and Water Policy Connecting Land and Water.” In addition, Megdal will MC a tribal lunch panel, “Collaborative Approaches to the Use of Earth Observations in Indigenous Communities,” as well as a round of lightning talks on “Climate Change Adaptation & Water Supply Planning.”
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Update: Water & Tribes Initiative | Colorado River Basin
As promised in a previous issue of the Weekly Wave, we would like to notify our readers that the full report, “Universal Access to Clean Water for Tribes in the Colorado River Basin,” is now available for download from the Water & Tribes Initiative here.
Correction: In last week’s issue of the Weekly Wave, we incorrectly stated that the Water & Tribes Initiative (WTI) was a project of the Center for Natural Resources & Environmental Policy at the University of Montana. WTI is a partnership among tribal and other leaders in the Colorado River Basin, guided by a diverse leadership team. More information on WTI can be found on their website.
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Please visit WRRC's website for a complete listing of water jobs & opportunities.
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