It is July, more than three months since my last Reflections, which was written from the UN Water Conference on World Water Day. The reason for the gap: an overabundance of work-related activities. Teaching, project work, engagement and speaking activities, media interviews, and more have kept me very busy.
Informing audiences of many kinds about our water situation has always been meaningful for me. Interest in understanding the complicated and uncertain implications to Arizona of low Colorado River flows has never been higher. Groundwater issues are of heightened interest as well. Whether the audience consists of students in my graduate course “Water Policy in Arizona and Semi-arid Regions,” community groups, conference/workshop attendees (including international), and/or the media, it’s always necessary to provide sufficient context and nuance. Though I have been complimented for explaining complex water issues concisely, I find it increasingly difficult to deliver quick summaries and explanations. Uneven impacts across geographic regions, across jurisdictions, and across and among water using sectors make generalizations impossible. Two examples drive this home.