IN THIS ISSUE: Seminar Recap, Water Talk Podcast, Value of Water Index, APW, Restoring Watersheds, Saudi Well Drilling | |
WRRC Seminar Explains Arizona Water Banking Authority System | |
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On Tuesday, May 2, the WRRC hosted a seminar featuring Dr. Rebecca Bernat, water resources specialist and technical administrator for the Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA), who discussed how AWBA distributes water from the Colorado River. Bernat began by explaining the relationships between AWBA, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, and the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, all of which work together to manage and distribute available water resources. Bernat used a live map of long-term storage credits to demonstrate where water is stored and how the credit system works. She also outlined how other states have different terms of agreement with AWBA and explained how this affects water replenishment accreditation, though only Nevada currently stores Colorado River water using the AWBA system. With university graduations rapidly approaching, Bernat, who is a former WRRC Graduate Research Assistant, concluded her presentation by sharing current job opportunities for students with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the fields of Hydrology, Water Resource Specialization, and Application Development. The presentation was followed by a brief Q&A.
Image: Brian F. O'Neill, Colorado River
View the Recording
Long-Term Storage Credits Map
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WRRC Seminar Series: Green Infrastructure in Tucson, AZ
Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Times: 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm Arizona Time
Location: Webinar Only
Speakers:
Adriana Zuniga, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona
Blue Baldwin, Storm to Shade Program Manager, Tucson Water
In this WRRC seminar, Adriana Zuniga will describe a brief history of water management in Tucson and how this desert city became a leader in green infrastructure in the country. Blue Baldwin will then present an overview of the modern evolution of green stormwater infrastructure in Tucson over the past decades, from grassroots, "pre-legal" actions to current policy and ultimate institutionalization with the advent of the Storm to Shade Program at Tucson Water. The Storm to Shade program's goals, project prioritization framework, maintenance program, key partnerships, challenges, and long-term vision for the S2S will be covered.
Register Here
More Info
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Water Talk Podcast Discusses Comparative Water Politics
On April 28, Water Talk, a podcast produced by the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, released an episode on the topic of Comparative Water Politics featuring WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal as a guest. After brief introductions, they discussed the Central Arizona Project (CAP), beginning around 10:10 in the podcast. Dr. Megdal explained the purpose, oversight structure, and challenges facing CAP, particularly in light of ongoing Colorado River shortages. Commenting on her service on the CAP board, Megdal noted how the service was “a great opportunity to learn, to keep up to date, to get additional insights into some of the challenges.” The conversation moved on to groundwater replenishment and the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District (around 16:10), particularly the unresolved issues around how and where to replenish pumped groundwater. One of the hosts, Dr. Mallika Nocco, observed that California could potentially learn from Arizona’s groundwater replenishment strategies. When Nocco admitted to some confusion about the similar and overlapping terminology (24:23), Megdal discussed the difference between “wet water” and “paper water,” acknowledging the disconnect between recharge and pumping, and mentioned the Arizona Water Banking Authority (27:30). Conversation then moved on to Megdal’s international work (31:19), including US-Mexico transboundary aquifer assessment, the Israeli-Palestinian region, and science diplomacy. Megdal emphasized the importance of building connections and relationships. The podcast concluded with final thoughts on supporting each other’s work and the need for additional resources to facilitate collaboration. Dr. Megdal was also recently interviewed for episode 3 of the new Colorado NPR podcast, Parched. Both podcasts are available to listen to for free online.
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Value of Water Campaign Publishes
2023 Index
The Value of Water Campaign puts out an annual poll to American voters “to better understand their opinions about the state of our nation’s water infrastructure and what they view as priorities for action and potential solutions.” The survey, conducted between March 22 and March 29, 2023, polled over 1000 voters about the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and how they would prioritize water relative to other issue areas for the federal government to address this year. Findings showed that the top issues were ensuring a reliable water supply, strengthening the economy, reducing inflation, and addressing drinking water contamination. They also found that “While awareness of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law hasn’t grown, once voters were informed, approval of the law continues to be broad and strong.” While still relatively high, perception of local and national water infrastructure has decreased over the eight years of the poll. A majority of respondents also supported paying modestly increased rates for water services to ensure everyone in their community has basic water and sewer service, to reduce pollution in local waterways, and to make drinking water safer and healthier.
Value of Water Index Factsheet
More Info
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High School Teams Tackle Climate Change at AZ Envirothon Competition
Arizona high schoolers demonstrated their mastery of environmental principles and problem-solving at the 2023 Arizona Envirothon competition, an annual event that APW helps organize. A team from Centennial High School in Peoria took the top honors. Trivium Prep Academy (Goodyear) and Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center - Paradise Valley captured silver and bronze. Fourteen Arizona high school teams met in the pines at Prescott’s Highlands Center for Natural History on Friday, April 20, to test their field skills in aquatic ecology, water quality, forestry and wildlife management, soil science, land use, and agriculture. Teams then applied their expertise to address a real-world challenge for this year’s theme: Adapting to Climate Change. The Centennial High School champions will now go to Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Canada, in July to represent Arizona at the international NCF Envirothon, competing for scholarships and prizes. The Canada-bound team includes captain Katherine Miskimen, Jack Nitschke, Brooke Ojeda, Sophie Nguyen, Tayla Martin, and coaches Shelly Petersen and Jeff Jacobs.
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Water Restoration Group Tackles Erosion Control at Buenos Aires National Refuge
A recent erosion control and restoration workshop organized by the Altar Valley Conservation Alliance brought together about 30 volunteers to improve conditions for local wildlife and livestock in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. According to a recent article in the Arizona Daily Star, volunteers worked at two sites on the Arroyo Hondo and Puertocito Wash. Conservation and science director for the Altar Valley Conservation Alliance, Julia Guglielmo, said they chose the Arroyo Hondo site because it provided habitat for the endangered masked bobwhite quail and there were preexisting stone structures that volunteers could reinforce with rocks, dirt, and brush for erosion control. Brad Lancaster, an expert in the field of rainwater harvesting and water management, said “[The workshop] is a great model for how to work in rural settings and our more urban-built environments, such as within and beside the arroyos you find in Tucson. We’re focusing on waterways and adjacent floodplains, which you encounter in our city.” These conservation efforts do more than repair the land; they foster relationships between people and the land they live on.
Image: Altar Valley Conservation Alliance
Arizona Daily Star Article
Altar Valley Conservation Alliance
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Well Drilling Permits Revoked for Saudi-Owned Farming Company
Recent news reports have highlighted the revocation of drilling permits obtained by a Saudi company for new, deep (more than 1,000 feet), large-capacity (up to 3,000 gallons per minute) groundwater wells in La Paz County, Arizona. Attorney General Kris Mayes initiated the review of the company’s permits that led to their revocation on the grounds of inconsistencies in the permit applications. In most of rural Arizona outside the areas designated for active management under the state’s Groundwater Management Act, the Arizona Department of Water Resources does not have the authority to deny groundwater well drilling permits to anyone if permit applications meet their requirements. Outside Active Management Areas, no permits are required to pump any quantity of groundwater from wells drilled with valid permits. Attorney General Mayes and many others would like to see changes to the law that would limit or ban foreign companies from doing what the Saudi company and other foreign entities have been doing for years—using Arizona land and water to grow crops (mostly hay and forage) for export back to their home countries.
Read the Full AP Story
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Please visit WRRC's website for a complete listing of water jobs & opportunities.
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Current Colorado River Conditions Dashboard
Take a look at the most recent data on the Colorado River conditions. More Info
JAWRA Early View Article on Riverine Flooding
Cockburn, Charlotte, Jonathan M. Winter, Erich C. Osterberg, and Francis J. Magilligan. “Drivers of future streamflow changes in watersheds across the Northeastern United States.” Journal of the American Water Resources Association 00 (2023): 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.13120.
Western Water Article: Upper Basin States Seek Added Leverage to Protect Their River Shares
The states of the Lower Colorado River Basin have traditionally played an oversized role in tapping the lifeline that supplies 40 million people in the West. California, Nevada, and Arizona were quicker to build major canals and dams and negotiated a landmark deal that requires the Upper Basin to send predictable flows through the Grand Canyon, even during dry years. But with the federal government threatening unprecedented water cuts amid decades of drought and declining reservoirs, the Upper Basin states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico are muscling up to protect their shares of an overallocated river whose average flows have already dropped 20% over the last century. More Info
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Septic System Owner Questionnaire
ADEQ wants your input as a septic system owner about how you maintain your system and any problems you have had. Your feedback is anonymous and will be used to help improve ADEQ's onsite wastewater treatment program. More Info
ADEQ Invites Comments
On April 21, 2023, the comment period begins for the Groundwater Rule Clarification and Citation Cleanup rulemaking. The comment period ends on May 22, 2023. More Info
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