The US Geological Survey (USGS) Aridlands Water Harvesting Study has been investigating the potential to sculpt landscapes in the Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion and quantifying impacts (on hydrology, vegetation, and sediment) over the past 10 years.

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.

Tucson second graders are learning how forest fires, flooding, and erosion are all part of an interconnected system through Arizona Project WET’s virtual Forests, Fires, and Floods presentation. 

The American Water Resources Association (AWRA) just released a new issue of its magazine, Water Resources IMPACT, on the theme of “Wicked Water Problems.”

In this article, we present a vision to enhance urban water system resilience through a Net Zero Urban Water (NZUW) approach, which meets the needs of a given community with a locally available and sustainable water supply, without detriment to interconnected systems or long-term water supply (See Figure 1 below). 

Tó éí ííńá át'é – Water is Life, in the Diné, or Navajo language. This truth is known to the Diné and throughout Arizona. A recent art exhibition, Parched: The Art of Water in the Southwest, explores the complexities and challenges of water in the face of climate change, informed by cultural and scientific inquiry. In early 2019, a group of Arizona-based artists took part in a week-long water “boot-camp” organized through a collaboration between the Flagstaff Arts Council, Coconino Plateau Watershed Partnership, Northern Arizona University, and the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter.

As an addendum to last week’s article, APW is also initiating a Groundwater Education & Conservation (GEC) program in Pinal County, where the importance of the agricultural perspective cannot be overstated. In the Pinal Active Management Area (AMA), the groundwater management goal is to preserve the agricultural economy for as long as feasible, while considering the need to preserve groundwater for future non-irrigation uses. Growing concerns that Pinal County will not be able to meet that goal for much longer has prompted efforts from all stakeholders to develop new conservation programs and to improve existing management practices.

The WRRC is pleased to feature the following article summary prepared by the author, UArizona researcher (retired) Chris Eastoe. This study used measurements of the ratios of stable (non-radioactive) isotopes in the hydrogen and oxygen of water molecules.

Gasps of excitement and broad smiles are common when students explore the groundwater system using APW’s 3D student models. APW is very excited and eager to expand this success through a multiyear grant from Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), which provides funding to educate West Valley students on Arizona’s groundwater conditions. 

Over the past three issues of the Weekly Wave, an article on each of Arizona’s three WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) Basin Studies (Basin Studies) was presented.