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
December 02, 2022
Two New Publications from WRRC Staff
Two new publications have recently been released, featuring work from WRRC staff. Transboundary Aquifers – Challenges and the way forward, was published by the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This book includes the presentations of the 2021 UN Water Summit on Groundwater and provides examples of transboundary aquifer knowledge worldwide. In this volume, a binational group of scholars, practitioners, and consultants, including WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and post-doctoral researcher Mary-Belle Cruz Ayala, authored a paper titled “Reaching Groundwater Agreements on the Border Between Mexico and the United States: Science and Policy Fundamentals.” One of the main conclusions is that the existence of collaboration between the two countries “could lead to a framework agreement for groundwater resources that sets the stage for follow-on agreements that incorporate the local circumstances of the US-Mexico transboundary aquifers.” The full text of the book is available as a PDF.
The second publication is an article titled “Water Federalism in the United States of America,” written by Rebecca F. A. Bernat and Sharon B. Megdal. The paper reviews water federalism and the history of US government water management practices, concluding that “new water quality and water quantity federalisms must be developed using institutional, sociocultural, and economic principles of good governance that foster a more inclusive, participatory, democratic, and engaged form of federalism.” The article is published in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science.
Image: UNESCO
View the Articles:
Transboundary Aquifers – Challenges and the Way Forward
Water Federalism in the United States of America
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.