IN THIS ISSUE: Binational Water, Water for Nature, Director's Activities, APW-Climate Change Dynamos, Shortage Sharing, FEWSION
New US-Mexico Agreement on Rio Grande
Foreseen in Recent Wilson Center Article
On October 21, 2020, the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center released the article “Deadline Looms for Transboundary U.S.-Mexico Water Management: Experts weigh in on the potential for conflict and cooperation.” The deadline in question was October 24, 2020, the date by which Mexico was to meet its Rio Grande water delivery obligation to the United States under the 1944 Treaty between the United States and Mexico regarding Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande. WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal was one of seven expert contributors to the article, which contains their responses to a series of questions about transboundary water resources. Timed for release just before the important October 24 deadline, the article's first question focused on the Rio Grande conflict: “Without major releases of water before Oct. 24, Mexico will end a 2nd 5-year cycle of the US-Mexico Water Treaty with a water debt, a situation understood by most to be a violation of the treaty. What are the most likely outcomes for this current dispute?” Megdal’s short answer to this question relied on what she had heard from other experts, namely that Mexico was likely to meet its obligation.

Photo: Amistad Dam, Texas courtesy of The Center for Land Use Interpretation
 
WRRC EVENTS
Brown Bag Webinar: Coronavirus Response at the Central Arizona Project

Date: Friday, November 13, 2020
Time: 12:00 - 1:15 p.m.
Location: Webinar Only
 
Speaker: Ted Cooke, General Manager, Central Arizona Project
 
Ted Cooke will be presenting an overview of how the Central Arizona Project (CAP), a major water supplier with a service area encompassing over 5 million people, responded to the coronavirus pandemic. He will also explain how the CAP kept the water flowing, its employees safe, and managed its facilities.
Upcoming Webinars
 
Nov. 18 – Southwestern Navajo Rural Water
Appraisal Study
Kevin Black, Sr., Planning Program Manager, US Bureau of Reclamation - Phoenix Area Office
 
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

Dec. 9 - Balancing Environmental, Municipal, and Agricultural Needs in the Edwards Aquifer: A Farmer’s Perspective
Adam Yablonski, President, Comanche Creek Farms

Jan. 14, 2021 – Transferring Water in Arizona
Patrick J. Cunningham, Public Affairs Consultant and General Counsel, HighGround
Michael J. Pearce, Partner, Gammage & Burnham
NEWS
Water for Nature at WRRC Brown Bag

Last Thursday, Kristen Wolfe from the Sustainable Water Network presented “Water for Nature,” a talk featuring water needs for healthy and flowing rivers. The Sustainable Water Network is a coalition of more than 30 environmental groups and individuals whose mission is to find solutions to protect and restore diminishing rivers and streams. Wolfe shared a short video from the “Viva la Verde” documentary by Hugh Denno and Gary Beverly, showing the status of Arizona’s vanishing rivers. Because rivers, streams, and springs provide services to entire ecosystems, from riparian areas to human uses, it is essential to protect them. Wolfe reviewed recurring themes and suggested solutions from a range of conferences, reports, and articles that highlight environmental needs in Arizona’s water management and law. A recurring theme emphasized by Wolfe was the need for more environmental flow data to support better water management practices.
WRRC Director Speaks in Riverside County (CA) and Tucson Great Decisions Webinars

On October 23, 2020 WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal participated on a panel focusing on “water project marvels.” This early morning session was the final webinar in the Riverside County Water Task Force Speaker Series and was hosted by the Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD), Western Municipal Water District, and West Riverside Council of Governments. Moderated by Task Force Chair and EMWD General Manager Paul Jones II, the panel also featured Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and Cristina Ahmadpour, President of Isle, Inc. Megdal spoke about desalination's impact on Israel’s water supply. Entitled “Desal to the Rescue,” her presentation used photos to tell much of the story. When asked about the role for desalination in California, she noted that, despite high cost and public controversy, desalination can be a drought-proof option and part of a balanced water portfolio. As the Boy Scout motto that appears on the outside of the WRRC building urges, utilities can "be prepared" by adding desalination to their supply options. Following the panel, Director Megdal immediately switched gears to present the keynote address at Tucson Great Decision’s first-ever webinar. Her 40-minute lecture on “Wicked Water Problems: Scarcity, Sharing, and Sustainability” had been rescheduled from April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides covering the water situation in Tucson, Megdal spoke to wicked water problems in Central Arizona and the Colorado River Basin, noting in addition that there is no shortage of wicked water problems globally.

Photo: Sharon B. Megdal, Colored Membranes at the Palmachim Desalination Plant
Climate Change Dynamos

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, widely published writer, and founder of the Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank focused on the future of coastal cities. Her pragmatic approach inspired the APW team at the North American Association of Environmental Education conference this month! In addition to her other endeavors, she co-hosts a podcast called How to Save a Planet. In a recent episode, they shared the story of MrBeast, a YouTube star focused on 12 year-olds who raised $20 million through his 30 million viewers and planted 20 million trees for the planet.

Draft Review of 2007 Interim Guidelines Released for Comments

On October 23, the US Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) published the Draft Report, Review of the Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operation for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The Review, also referred to as the 7.D. Review, is the first step in the process that will ultimately lead to replacement of the 2007 Interim Guidelines that expire in 2026. Reclamation's announcement stated that it was hoped the process would establish a common understanding of operations since the adoption of the 2007 Interim Guidelines and integrate feedback from partners and stakeholders, including Basin States, Tribes, NGOs, and the public. As part of this effort, Reclamation hosted two webinars this past week to provide an overview of the report. Weekly Wave readers may remember that at the WRRC 2020 Conference in June, Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman highlighted the upcoming review and the inclusive approach to integrating stakeholder input. The comment period closes on November 13.
 
NAU-led Food, Energy, Water Project Helps Solve Wicked Water Problems
 
Northern Arizona University researchers are leading a major project funded by the National Science Foundation’s INFEWS (Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems) program. The FEWSION project has produced a national supply chain mapping and footprint mapping visualization system FEW-View, which provides detailed maps of the supply chains for the food, energy, water, and other stuff used in YOUR community. For example, if you live in Los Angeles, these data map how much water was used to produce the beef you’re eating on your hamburger and exactly which watersheds or rivers that water came from. The food-energy-water system was the subject of a recent paper the FEWSION team published in Nature Sustainability documenting how the national supply chain and especially feed production for the beef and dairy supply chain is linked to water stress in rivers around the US. Near and distant environmental impacts of supply chains are “wicked” complex systems problems that these data and map visualizations can help you and your community solve. A FEWSION-created community participatory process for FEW supply chain resilience (F4R) can show the way.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
PUBLICATIONS
UArizona #1 in Higher Education in the Water Sector: A Global Overview. 2019. Colin Mayfield. UNU-INWEH Report Series, Issue 07. United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton, Canada.