The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) of Arizona concluded phase 1 of its Long-Term Water Augmentation Fund (LTWAF) program by selecting for further evaluation seven proposed projects designed to develop, store, or deliver new water supplies or to stretch existing supplies.

In October 2025, ScienceDirect journal published a special issue, titled Agricultural Water Management, for which WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal served as a guest editor along with colleagues in New Mexico and California. 

During the 1st Earth Sciences Symposium, held November 12–14, 2025, and organized by the Department of Geology at Universidad de Sonora in Hermosillo, Mexico, WRRC Associate in Extension Elia Tapia joined students, faculty, and invited experts to explore shared challenges in water resources.

The Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) is seeking a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) for the Spring 2026 semester to support our stakeholder outreach and engagement efforts and assist with research projects. The WRRC acts as a bridging organization between academia and water managers throughout the state, providing stakeholder outreach, facilitation, and research to support communities in their water management efforts.

In the U.S. Southwest and beyond, home gardeners and landscapers are increasingly using collected rainwater to nourish their rose bushes and cactus gardens amid worsening drought and rising temperatures fueled by global warming.

Those who follow international water topics may be interested in two new publications by Dr. Pintu Kumar Mahla, a U of A Designated Campus Colleague carrying out research at the WRRC. Both articles are freely available to read online.

On Tuesday, November 18, Randall Hanson, President/Hydrologist of One-Water Hydrologic, presented a WRRC Water Webinar, titled “Conjunctive Water Management for Sustainability." Conjunctive Water Management (CWM) is a holistic approach to water management within a sustainability framework that considers all potentially available water sources.

November is Native American Heritage Month, and in honor of this observance, the WRRC sponsored two events that featured Native priorities and is pleased to offer recordings for online viewing.

Pima County Cooperative Extension held a grand opening for the new Master Gardener Greenhouse on Saturday, November 15, 2025. The event began with a brief program featuring U of A speakers celebrating the partnerships that brought the greenhouse construction project to fruition. Ed Martin, Director of the Arizona Cooperative Extension System, said, “This greenhouse is more than a structure; it’s a symbol of commitment to people, learning, sustainability, and the future of this community.” Following the program and a ribbon-cutting ceremony, several representatives from the Master Gardener program hosted greenhouse tours and games for attendees, with plants as prizes.

Photography offers a compelling way to express human connections with water and its beauty, power, and essential role in sustaining life. This theme was reflected at Planet Women’s 3rd Annual Women and Water Convening, which was held in Tuba City, Arizona, earlier this month and was attended by WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and WRRC Associate Director Jamie McEvoy. The WRRC invites you to share your own visual interpretations of water by entering the WRRC 2025 Photo Contest: A World of Water.