On Thursday, April 30, 2026, the University of Arizona’s Drachman Institute for the Built Environment hosted their 2nd Annual Outreach + Community Impact Celebration to recognize exemplary student outreach and impactful community partnerships.

In March of this year, the USGS released a new online tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict stream flow in rivers across the country. The tool, River DroughtCast, which is free and accessible for public use, provides predictions on 3,000 rivers.

The City of Flagstaff and the Navajo Nation are partnering to find creative solutions to unique water challenges in Northern Arizona. On April 22, WRRC hosted four webinar speakers who discussed innovative projects underway in the region.

A gallery of photos from the successful WRRC 2026 Annual Conference on April 14–15, 2026, is now available online. The conference, Water for Tech, Mining & Energy: Pathways to Arizona’s Future, brought together hundreds of participants from across Arizona and beyond for two days of engaging presentations, discussions, and networking.

Pintu Kumar Mahla has been a Designated Campus Colleague of the WRRC since April of 2025, researching transboundary water challenges and opportunities in South Asia. His most recent work focuses on issues of water access in the Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK).

The Agnese Nelms Haury Program at the University of Arizona has named the team behind the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources Library Preservation Project  as recipients of the 2026 Indigenous Resilience Leadership Award. The work of awardees — Maurice Upshaw, Jessica Ugstad, and Teresa Miguel-Stearns — has safeguarded a critical and irreplaceable water resources collection.

Thank you to the wonderful speakers, sponsors, students, volunteers, and everyone else who made our WRRC 2026 Annual Conference possible! We couldn’t have done it without your help. We will post video recordings of the conference proceedings soon.

The WRRC 2026 Annual Conference is fast approaching. The speakers and presentations focusing on Water for Tech, Mining & Energy: Pathways to Arizona's Future will offer insights into the challenges and opportunities for water users in Arizona’s industrial sectors. Specifically, the luncheon program on Wednesday, April 15, will explore Research and Initiatives in Water, Tech, Mining, and Energy. Following acknowledgements and introductions from WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal, a recorded video presentation from the Honorable Katie Hobbs, Governor of Arizona, will be presented. Her remarks will provide highlights and insights into Arizona’s water future, including water policy relevant to tech and mining developments around the state.

On April 14–15, the WRRC will be hosting its 2026 Annual Conference, Water for Tech, Mining & Energy: Pathways to Arizona’s Future, at the U of A Student Union Memorial Center in Tucson. If you can’t make it to Tucson, you can still attend via Zoom. It's free!