This week, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Post-doctoral Researcher Mary-Belle Cruz Ayala participated in the 11th International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge conference (ISMAR11) in Long Beach, CA. The full-week conference, which included workshops, technical sessions, an awards luncheon, field trips, and networking opportunities, was chaired by University of Arizona alumnus Adam Hutchinson, recharge planning manager for the Orange County Water District.

 

Director Megdal, who served as a member of the conference committee, organized and led a four-hour workshop titled “Meeting Water Management Objectives with Managed Aquifer Recharge: The Role of MAR Governance and Policy” on Monday, the opening day of the symposium. The workshop focused on what successful MAR regulatory frameworks look like and how they can help meet jurisdictional water management goals. It was the first-ever ISMAR workshop on the governance and policy aspects of MAR.

 

In addition, Megdal moderated Tuesday’s opening keynote address by former Arizona Governor and US Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. Dr. Dave Kreamer, also a University of Arizona alumnus and president of the International Association of Hydrogeologists, delivered another keynote address. Later that day, Megdal presided over a plenary panel on “Managed Aquifer Recharge in Action.” In addition to the session’s presentations by representatives of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the Gila River Indian Community, and the Yakama Nation, Megdal spoke on “The Role of Managed Aquifer Recharge in Implementing Israel’s Master Plan for Water,” which was co-authored with Dr. Diego Berger, International Projects Coordinator for Mekorot, the National Water Company of Israel.

 

On Wednesday, Dr. Cruz Ayala moderated technical presentations in a session on Managed Aquifer Recharge and Integrated Water Management; in this session, cases from Spain, Iran, India, and the USA were presented. On Thursday, she presented her own work on MAR projects in Mexico during a session on International Recharge Opportunities and Innovation.