Navajo County, located in northeastern Arizona between Coconino and Apache counties, comprises two distinct geographic regions: arid and desert-like mesas, plateaus, and buttes in the north and mountainous piñon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands in the south. About 54% of Navajo County residents live in rural areas that depend on domestic groundwater wells for water.

This year, International Women’s Day was officially held on March 8, and called for the effort to “Accelerate Action,” a campaign which emphasizes the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, the Women in Water Diplomacy Network (WWDN) celebrated International Women’s Day by hosting a panel discussion, titled A Path Forward for Women, Water, Peace and Security – Elevating Central Asian voices from across the Women in Water Diplomacy Network.

On February 13, 2025, we announced the winners of the WRRC’s 2024 Photo Contest at our annual Chocolate Fest. We are now excited to share that all the contest submissions are available for viewing on our website.

The National Ground Water Association’s (NGWA) annual observance of Groundwater Awareness Week is March 9–15, 2025, and is an occasion in which to remember a major but hidden water resource.

Arizona Project WET is excited to announce the Spring 2025 launch of a traveling exhibit for environmental education: The Nature of Groundwater. Visitors of all ages who interact with the exhibit’s experiential elements are asked to consider these questions: What is the nature of our relationship with groundwater? Is this relationship built to last?

On March 3, 2025, a packed auditorium was on hand for the “In the Know on H2O” program hosted by the SaddleBrooke Public Affairs Commission, a cross-community group that works proactively to organize programs that are relevant to SaddleBrooke residents’ quality of life. WRRC Director Sharon Megdal provided information on the local water context as a member of the program’s expert panel.

The deadlines to submit proposals for this year’s federal Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) 104 grants are fast approaching! Faculty and research personnel at any of Arizona’s three state universities may submit proposals to either or both programs.

On March 4, 2025, Peter Gleick, Co-founder, President Emeritus, and Senior Fellow of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California, presented a WRRC Water Webinar on his book, The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future, the current state of the water world, and the many water challenges and crises facing us.

During the last week of February, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Associate Director Jamie McEvoy attended the annual meeting of the National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) in Washington DC. The meeting provided opportunities for updates on the proposal process for the 104(b) and 104(g) grants, a presentation on the US Geological Survey’s National Water Availability Assessment Report, discussions of federal appropriations and budget processes, and overviews of accomplishments from some of the institutes.

The WRRC is excited to announce its paid 2025 summer internship. Through the generosity of Gene Sander and Louise Canfield-Sander, the WRRC is offering a summer 2025 internship for the development of the 2026 Arroyo.