The Lower Santa Cruz River Basin Study (Basin Study) was proposed by the Southern Arizona Water Users Association and was initiated by the US Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) in 2016. 

The deadline to submit photos to the WRRC photo contest is quickly approaching. Show us water in cities and towns, water in nature, water and people, water and industry, water and anything that sparks your imagination!

The following starts a four-part article series from our valued colleagues at the US Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). The series will cover the three Basin Studies currently underway in Arizona. John Rasmussen, Eve Halper, and Valerie Swick, Water Resource Planners at Reclamation, authored the series.

Natural curiosity is the foundation of science. As a child, who hasn’t asked “why is the sky blue” or wondered how flies can walk on the ceiling? When fostered, children’s natural state of wonder can lead to a deeper level of learning.

The US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has announced a call for author nominations (due Saturday, November 14, 2020) for the 5th National Climate Assessment (NCA). Gregg Garfin, UArizona Associate Professor/Extension Specialist, University Director, Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, and Deputy Director for Science Translation and Outreach, Arizona Institutes for Resilience, reflects here on his experiences heading extraordinary teams of authors on the Southwest chapter of the 3rd (2014) and 4th (2018) NCAs. 

Last month at the NAAEE conference, as news of the US leaving the Paris Agreement received minor bylines amongst the all-consuming election headlines, 

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, widely published writer, and founder of the Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank focused on the future of coastal cities. 

On October 21, 2020, the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center released the article “Deadline Looms for Transboundary U.S.-Mexico Water Management: Experts weigh in on the potential for conflict and cooperation.” The deadline in question was October 24, 2020, the date by which Mexico was to meet its Rio Grande water delivery obligation to the United States under the 1944 Treaty between the United States and Mexico regarding Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande.

WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal participated in two virtual programs the week of October 12, 2020. She joined two panelists from Mexico to provide remarks comparing groundwater depletion and water security in the Rio Grande Basin and Colorado River Basin at the United States - Mexico Transboundary Groundwater Conference held October 14-15.

Since the beginnings of human history, humankind has been reshaping the earth to help meet our physical needs. Improving accessibility to water was paramount for many early cultures and it still is for the desert Southwest today.