The dynamic relationship between water and energy has become a national topic in recent years and is of particular interest to those in Arizona, where projections of water scarcity and changes in electrical generation are frequently reported in the media.
Brown Bag Seminar Series
Bring your lunch and join us for a range of presentations on water-related topics of interest.
Access to the WRRC’s Brown Bag series now routinely includes offsite listeners through live webcasts via Goto-Webinar and in-house video coverage.
The slide presentations of most seminars are also available for viewing on the website.
Get updates on upcoming Brown Bag Seminars
Upcoming Brown Bag Seminars
Previous Brown Bag Seminars
January 22, 2020
Brown Bag
Energy-Water-Air Conditioning Nexus
The dynamic relationship between water and energy has become a national topic in recent years and is of particular interest to those in Arizona, where projections of water scarcity and changes in electrical generation are frequently reported in the media.
December 04, 2019
Brown Bag
Integrated hydrologic modeling at the continental scale; scientific advances and research needs
Connections between groundwater depth, surface runoff and plant water use are well established. Still, much of the work to explore these connections has been completed on the catchment scale, and groundwater-surface water interactions are largely excluded or greatly simplified in continental and global modeling efforts.
November 19, 2019
Brown Bag
Heat Mitigation through Green Infrastructure
This year, Tucson, the 3rd fastest warming city in the U.S., experienced its 2nd hottest summer on record and 11th straight summer ranked in the top ten hottest. Urban infrastructure—buildings, pavement, etc.—exacerbates extreme heat risk. Arizona Project WET (APW) and Watershed Management Group (WMG) started the Recharge the Rain (RtR) project in Tucson in 2017 to build community resilience to local climate impacts.
November 08, 2019
Brown Bag
The Economic Impact of Arizona's Rivers, Lakes, and Streams: How water-based outdoor recreation contributes to state and local economies
Audubon Arizona commissioned a report to evaluate the economic contributions of the water in Arizona’s rivers, lakes, and streams. In order to conserve and protect the waterways we care about
October 28, 2019
Brown Bag
Will desalination resolve the Israeli-Arab water conflicts? - And If not, why?
The water conflicts between Israel and its neighbors are often viewed as a zero-sum game; however, that view is outdated. Mutually beneficial options exist when the parties realize that they have much in common in terms of protecting shared resources.
October 23, 2019
Brown Bag
You’ve Got it All Wrong About Water
Scarcity of water, high population density, power imbalances, and climatic stressors are the main factors that push countries towards either cooperation (technical or political) or disputes in transboundary river basins.
October 16, 2019
Brown Bag
Lesson Learned from the 2018 E. coli Outbreak Investigation and the Future of Food Safety
The University of Arizona is researching the Spring 2018 E. Coli contamination of Yuma-grown romaine lettuce to help determine environmental influences on bacterial persistence and distribution in the Yuma agricultural region. The goal of the work, which is being conducted in partnership with U.S. Food and Drug Administration, state agriculture officials and local growers, is to improve growing and harvesting practices, to mitigate contamination risks, and ultimately to enhance produce safety.
October 08, 2019
Brown Bag
An Update on the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project
The Santa Cruz River Heritage Project recharges reclaimed water and provides a riparian area in downtown Tucson. This presentation will present how we planned, permitted and executed the project and its current operation. We will share observations made so far as well as some future expectations.
September 18, 2019
Brown Bag
Water and Sustainability in Arizona: A Mixed Record
A billboard near Roosevelt Dam proclaimed in the 1960s: “Arizona Grows Where Water Flows.” But growth and the control of water to support it have never been simple uncontested endeavors.