The WRRC’s FY 2023 call for 104(b) research grant proposals has been delayed by national level changes to the 104(b) program schedule. Interested researchers at any of Arizona’s three universities should look for the Request for Proposals (RFP) in December 2022. As usual
February 04, 2022
Gaining Perspective: Agriculture in Yuma
By Michael Seronde, WRRC Program Manager
During the winter months, as much as 70% of the leafy greens found in grocery stores are grown within 100 miles of Yuma, AZ. At the end of January, I traveled to Yuma with my peers in Class 30 of Arizona Project CENTRL to gain a better understanding of some of the challenges facing this important agricultural region. We saw firsthand what goes into getting Yuma area-grown produce into homes across the US and Canada. Our experience focused on water, labor, and border issues; all interconnected with the region’s agriculture.
When we first arrived in Yuma, we met with Tom Davis, manager of the Yuma County Water Users Association and president of the Agribusiness and Water Council of Arizona, Paul Brierly, executive director of the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, Meghan Scott, water attorney at Noble Law, and John Boelts, farmer and first vice president of the Arizona Farm Bureau. This group set the stage for a day visiting the surrounding farmlands by sharing their insights and expertise in agricultural water management. Agriculture accounts for roughly 70% of all the water used in AZ. In Yuma County, that number is more than 96%. Almost all the water comes from the Colorado River. Working in water resources had given me, at minimum, a baseline understanding of agricultural water use and the challenges facing growers – but it is something entirely different to stand at the edge of an irrigation ditch, boots caked with mud, watching the steady creep of Colorado River water flow across a field.
Starting at 5 am at the San Luis Port of Entry on the US-Mexico border, we learned about the incredibly long and difficult workdays of agricultural workers. Many start their day at 3 am to cross the border, load onto buses, and work for 8-10 hours harvesting and packing produce that ends up in trucks that deliver to grocery stores the following morning. Through our visits and discussions, we traced water from the Colorado River to our dinner tables. The physical backbreaking labor of farm work coupled with the emotional and political challenges of crossing the border every day deepened my appreciation for the fresh produce we were gifted as Project CENTRL participants. Meeting with a Border Patrol agent to hear about their experiences working in the Arizona borderlands further highlighted the complicated, often painful relationship we have with barriers. Water and food are the ultimate connectors; we all need water – north or south of the border – and immersive learning with important regional water users helps to deepen the complex relationship we have with this precious and limited resource.
Image: Produce Fields in Yuma, AZ, Michael Seronde
Recent News
November 04, 2022
APW AmeriCorps Spotlight: Juliana Perez
My name is Juliana, and I am one of four AmeriCorps Water Educators in Tucson working with Arizona Project WET (APW). So much happened in our first few weeks on the job. We all jumped right into the action. As water educators, we are tasked with teaching students from 4th grade all the way through high school through APW’s different programs. During the first month, in addition to learning about water and how to lead the lessons through training and seminars, we also had firsthand teaching experiences.
November 04, 2022
Reclamation Announces New Federal Action on the Colorado River
On Friday, October 28, the US Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) announced the initiation of an expedited process for developing a “Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)” on proposed revisions to the December 2007 Record of Decision relating to the Colorado River Interim Guidelines. The SEIS will lay out options to address the troubling operating conditions facing the river system now and in the future. Public comments submitted by December 20 will be reflected in the draft SEIS to be released next spring, with the final expected in late summer.
November 04, 2022
WRRC Offers Three Events in November
The WRRC has three great events lined up for this month. Next week, on Thursday, November 10, we will be hosting a Brown Bag webinar featuring two University of Arizona (UArizona) graduate students who will each present on their 104(b) research projects. The presentation from Chandler Noyes will address the paleoclimate and past recharge rates in the Tucson Basin across the Holocene.
October 28, 2022
Divine Kickingbird Receives First Rodney Blaine Lewis Scholars Award
The inaugural recipient of the Rodney Blaine Lewis Scholars Award is Divine Kickingbird, who is enrolled at the University of Arizona as a first-year law student and aims to join the graduate program in Tribal Governance.
October 07, 2022
Desalination – A Solution to Dwindling Water Supply?
Desalination is often considered as an important option for augmenting Arizona’s water supply. WRRC Director Sharon Megdal has recently been consulted for news stories from NPR and ABC regarding desalination projects.