On Wednesday, September 28, Central Arizona Project (CAP) representatives hosted a roundtable for state water users to discuss the proposed CAP conservation incentive program. Earlier this year, the CAP board said they would “work with stakeholders to develop a conservation incentive program that is consistent with [CAP] legal authority.” This roundtable provided an opportunity for stakeholders to share ideas and provide information so CAP can develop an effective program.
August 26, 2022
Water Resources Information at the County Level Discussed at WRRC Brown Bag
The WRRC’s 2022 Fall Semester Brown Bag Webinar series kicked off on August 24 with a presentation on the Arizona Water Factsheet initiative, focusing on the recently published Pima County Water Factsheet. The presentation featured WRRC Program Manager Michael Seronde and Kathy Chavez, water policy manager at the Pima County Office of Sustainability and Conservation. Their presentation, titled “Pima County Water Factsheet: Tailoring Meaningful Water Information at the County Scale for and with Local Stakeholders,” started with an overview of the initiative’s origins and described some of the challenges with developing a concise and regionally relevant water resource factsheet. They emphasized the importance of local stakeholder input to ensure the factsheets are responsive to the needs and unique characteristics of the county. Kathy, who was a member of the Technical Advisory Committee who guided the development of the Pima County Factsheet, walked attendees through the content of the factsheet section by section, highliting data sources, challenges, and key water topics.
The engaged audience asked many excellent questions that underscored some of the key aspects of the factsheet initiative. For example, why focus on county level water information? In response, Michael and Kathy noted that the Arizona Water Factsheets fill a gap in available resources. There are no other concise resources for water information that are specific to each county in Arizona. They went on to mention some of the other excellent resources that provide detailed water resource information, but at different scales. ADWR’s Active Management Area Data Dashboard, is one such resource. Another complimentary, but distinct source for water information mentioned during the webinar is the Kyl Center’s Arizona Water Blueprint. Factsheets for additional counties are underway starting with the Cochise County Water Factsheet, which is in its final rounds of review. Next up are Graham and Greenlee Counties.
The WRRC has a full schedule of Brown Bag Webinars and other events planned for the fall semester. Next week will feature the webinar "The Rio Reimagined Initiative: River and Community Revitalization Along the Salt - Gila River Corridor." The panel will include an update on the initiative and featuring coalition partners. More information about this and all upcoming events can be found at the link below.
Recent News
September 30, 2022
CAP Water Users Roundtable on Proposed Conservation Incentive Program
September 23, 2022
Dr. Valerisa Gaddy Named 2022 MIT Solve Fellow
WRRC post-doctoral researcher Valerisa Gaddy has been selected as an MIT Solve Fellow for 2022-2023. Her tech-based solution, "IRRIGaTE: Irrigation Resources Reaching Indigenous Growers and Tribal Entities” addresses the difficulties of science and policy communication between Tribal farmers and non-tribal policymakers through a multimedia platform.
September 16, 2022
Thousands in Phoenix Living without Running Water
The Arizona Republic newspaper last Sunday drew on a recent report about plumbing poverty for a feature article on the subject. The report, co-authored by Kings College London professor and UArizona alum Katie Meehan, looked in depth at urban plumbing poverty in the United States. Meehan received her PhD from the UArizona Department of Geography and Development in 2010 and began her study of plumbing poverty while in Arizona.
September 16, 2022
Photo Journal: A Visit to the Upper Colorado River Basin
Last week, WRRC staff member Jessie Hampton visited family in rural southwestern Colorado. She stayed along Cebolla Creek, which flows down to meet the Gunnison River in Blue Mesa Reservoir, one of three reservoirs that make up the Curecanti Unit of the Colorado River Storage Project. Local ranchers use their water rights on Cebolla Creek to irrigate hay meadows. Jessie took photos of places she visited on her trip to showcase different types of water usage and management in the area.
September 08, 2022
Colorado River Days Flagstaff Launches September 2nd - 12th
Northern Arizona is celebrating Colorado River Days! Colorado River Days Flagstaff is a series of educational events to remind Flagstaff and surrounding communities about the importance of the Colorado River and all it has to offer