News

The WRRC would like to congratulate Rebecca Bernat, former WRRC Graduate Research Assistant and graduate of the UArizona Environmental Science PhD program, on her recent promotion to Manager of the Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA).

Joshua R. Ruddick of Tucson, AZ, passed away unexpectedly of natural causes on August 27, 2023. A passionate social justice advocate, environmentalist, and student of the world, Josh spent nearly 15 years as a high school science instructor before joining the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Arizona Project WET as Tucson Program coordinator in 2021.

This month marked the return of the WRRC Water Webinars, our series of presentations from experts and professionals on a wide range of water-related topics. On September 7, Helen Dahlke, Professor in Integrated Hydrologic Sciences at the University of California, Davis, kicked off our fall series with her presentation, Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge (Ag-MAR)

Last week, Director Sharon B. Megdal and Graduate Outreach Assistant Taylor Simmons had a great time representing the WRRC at the 2023 League of Arizona Cities and Towns Annual Conference.

As of August 16, the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA) has awarded more than $41 million to fund water conservation initiatives throughout the state, saving an estimated 860,000 – 1.3 million acre-feet of water.

On Wednesday, August 30, the University of Arizona Presidential Advisory Commission on the Future of Agriculture and Food Production in a Drying Climate released a report outlining recommendations for actions the university can take to address threats

A new book, Advances in Transboundary Aquifer Assessment, edited by WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Anne-Marie Matherne of the US Geological Survey, reprints the Special Issue of the same title that was published previously online in the open-access journal Water. Around the globe, groundwater is an increasingly important resource.

At the August 3–4 conference on Arizona Water Law, presentations featured the latest information on a range of vital issues, including the Colorado River, Tribal water rights, the General Stream Adjudications, and groundwater management, among others.

Longtime WRRC staff member Ashley Hullinger has recently accepted the position of Water Program Specialist with the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Protection Division at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal was recently interviewed by UArizona President Robert C. Robbins about Arizona’s water future. Robbins asked about the role of the WRRC, how and where we use water in Arizona, and what our future prospects may be.