November 19, 2021
Infrastructure Deal is Big News for WRRC and Water Sector
Did you know that the WRRC was part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill? The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law this week, contains historic investment in water resources and, of particular importance to the WRRC, it reauthorized the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA). As our readers may know, the WRRC is the water resources research institute for AZ, federally authorized under the WRRA. The reauthorization extends WRRA funding through FY2025 and contains changes long advocated by the WRRC and peer research institutes nationwide. An important change halves the cost-sharing requirement, from 2:1 to 1:1. This change will significantly improve the WRRC’s ability to leverage WRRA funding for our research and outreach programs, including the Section 104(b) student grant program. We will be issuing the next call for 104(b) proposals in the spring semester.
Of more general interest to the water sector, the infrastructure deal includes over $50 billion for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure funding, according to an EPA Fact Sheet. Among its many water-related provisions, the Act allocates $1 billion for water reuse projects in the western US, $11.7 billion each for Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, and an additional $15 billion in loans and grants for lead service pipe replacement. Multi-benefit watershed health projects received $100 million, desalination projects $250 million, and Drought Contingency Plan implementation $300 million.
Image: Andy Pernick, Bureau of Reclamation
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
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.