In 2022, the WRRC and CLIMAS engaged community partners to launch the project in three rural Arizona Counties: Cochise, Santa Cruz, and Pinal Counties. The communities of Benson, Patagonia, and Superior are located in different watersheds with varying water portfolios, policies, and regulatory contexts, but they are all unique as small towns with limited resources facing the realities of drought and climate change. These communities currently have drought response plans in accordance with A.R.S. §45-342. Similar to many other Arizona community water systems, their plans fulfill the requirements of this statute. Through this project, the WRRC conducted an inventory of policies, indicators, and actions that could enhance each community's drought plans to be more resilient in consideration of local drought vulnerabilities, scenarios, and responses. Together, UArizona and community partners seek to develop robust drought plans in coordination with local concerns and best available data for these rural communities.
