Engagement Impacts

Celebrate World Water Day on Monday afternoon, March 22, when the Water Resources Research Center hosts an informative panel discussion on the forthcoming UNESCO volume, “Managing Aquifer Recharge: A Showcase for Resilience and Sustainability.”

The old paradigm for clean water utilities was to see permit compliance as the ceiling of aspirations and to avoid community engagement to the maximal extent possible.   However, the new paradigm for the clean water utilities of the future is to see permit compliance as a floor and to strive to be environmental champions and anchor institutions in the communities they serve.

Arizona's landmark Groundwater Management Act turned 40 last year and the WRRC marked the occasion by focusing the 2020 annual conference on the legacy of the Act, current groundwater challenges, and potential future pathways. Building on this foundation, the authors of the 2021 Arroyo developed a comprehensive overview of groundwater management in Arizona that looks back over 40 years and ahead toward 2060 and beyond. The presentation will highlight key sections of the Arroyo as reference points for discussion.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of working virtually, the WRRC Water RAPIDS team leans into collaborative watershed planning and research with our partners in the Cobre Valley from afar. In November 2020, the team co-convened the Third Annual Cobre Valley Water Forum alongside the Cobre Valley Watershed Partnership (CVWP) and Gila County Cooperative Extension.