On Monday, March 8, Dr. Susanna Eden, Research Program Officer and former WRRC Assistant Director, and Brian McGreal, Master's Student in the UArizona Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, gave a Brown Bag presentation on key sections of the 2021 Arroyo, “Arizona Groundwater Management – Past, Present and Future.” Providing context to the discussion, they described the significant consequences of climate change on water resources in the west, then turned the focus to Arizona's water challenges and potential solutions. For example, groundwater supply for domestic use in some rural areas is uncertain due to unregulated groundwater pumping by industrial and agricultural users. Moreover, these often low-income communities may not be able to afford the infrastructure needed for water deliveries. According to the presentation, solutions could involve developing alternative groundwater management tools for unregulated areas and cooperative infrastructure projects between rural entities. Additional strategies were offered to address broader challenges, such as modeling Arizona's water future, augmenting water supply with desalination, resolving tribal water issues, and allocating water for the environment. The speakers noted the recent Arizona law, HB 2056, which would allow surface water right holders to conserve water according to a water conservation plan without forfeiting their water rights. This would be an important change to Arizona’s surface water law and would promote water conservation statewide.
Susanna Eden recently retired from the Water Resources Research Center after more than 30 years working in water resources in Arizona, Minnesota, and Washington DC. Among her responsibilities at the WRRC, she oversaw drafting and publication of the annual Arroyo since 2009. In her current advisory position, she serves as a repository of institutional memory. She received her PhD from the University of Arizona Department of Hydrology and Water Resources (now Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences).
Growing up in Los Angeles during periods of drought throughout California, Brian McGreal developed a keen interest in water use and its effects on the environment and local economies. He worked at the WRRC as an intern last summer and produced the first draft of the 2021 Arroyo: Arizona Groundwater Management - Past, Present and Future. Having received his BS in Environmental and Water Resource Economics, McGreal is now working towards an MS in UArizona’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. He plans to pursue a PhD in applied economics.
