Wells draw water from aquifers, which are underground layers of rock and sediment, saturated with water. The line between the ground’s unsaturated and saturated zones is called the water table. The water table can rise and fall naturally over time due to fluctuations in weather and climate, but human activity, including pumping water from wells, can also influence the water level.

On September 28, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Associate in Extension Elia Tapia presented on shared aquifers in the Arizona–Sonora border region as part of the University of Arizona Department of Environmental Science Fall 2026 Colloquium Series.

The WRRC is now accepting proposals for this year’s federal WRRA 104(g) General grant. The US Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Research Act Program released the FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 104(g) General on September 30, 2026. The NOFO is now posted on Grants.gov. The deadline for submitting proposals through the WRRC is Tuesday, October 27, 5 pm MST.

A big part of the WRRC’s mission is to connect Arizonans with educational materials about the state’s water resources. Our website’s new Water & Sustainability Resources page has been redesigned to do just that, with new sections, streamlined resources, and an updated format.

La Sección mexicana y la Sección estadounidense de la Comisión Internacional de Límites y Aguas (CILA/IBWC) han publicado el Estudio Binacional del Acuífero Transfronterizo Río Santa Cruz, una importante contribución a la caracterización de las aguas subterráneas compartidas por Arizona y Sonora.

WRRC Associate Director Jamie McEvoy attended the 2026 Agribusiness and Water Council (ABWC) Conference last Friday, where speakers discussed key areas of interest including agricultural production, energy, industry, and water.

As we launch another season of Arizona Water Festivals and Arizona Project WET (APW) programming across the state, we are thrilled to share some changes and new opportunities for 2026–2027! We are excited to announce that Kirstyn Kay has stepped into the role of Director of Arizona Project WET, following Lisa Townsend’s transition to her dream job in Oregon.

Mexico has agreed to share the burden of recent Colorado River water cuts with the Lower Basin states. On September 2, representatives of the United States and Mexico signed Minute 334 of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), an agreement that supports cooperative management of the river’s water in the context of severe drought and record low reservoir levels.

Kelly Mott Lacroix first joined the WRRC as a graduate research associate in 2011. She received her PhD in Arid Lands Resource Sciences from the U of A in 2015 and continued her work at the WRRC as a research analyst until 2016, when she joined the US Forest Service (USFS) as a hydrologist in Washington, DC.