News

Please help spread the news—the WRRC is now accepting proposals for this year’s federal WRRA 104(b) grants. The Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) Section 104(b) program provides small grants for university-based research projects on water-related issues in Arizona. Proposals featuring student work are encouraged. The deadline to submit a 104(b) proposal this year is 5:00 pm MST on Monday, March 16, 2026.

Those who follow international water topics may be interested in a new publication by Dr. Pintu Kumar Mahla, a U of A Designated Campus Colleague conducting research at the WRRC. His recent paper, published in the e-journal Janus.net, is titled “Hydro-Diplomacy as a Strategic Lever: Comparative Insights from India and China in Regional Cooperation and Global Water Governance.”

The Central Arizona Project (CAP) has developed a comprehensive Colorado River Conditions Dashboard to help users understand current and future water availability. This interactive tool offers real-time and projected data on reservoir status, water supply, snowfall, and operational shortages for the entire river basin.

In celebration of its 125th anniversary, Tucson Water has launched a limited-edition sparkling water line designed to communicate the evolution of the City of Tucson’s water stewardship in the Sonoran Desert across the past, present, and future.

The Water Resources Research Center is deeply grateful to those who supported us in 2025. The generosity of donors helps fuel research, support experiential learning opportunities for students, and extend programs that transform communities. As we look ahead to 2026, we hope that you will consider supporting the WRRC to further expand this valuable work.

Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has released 13 new Supply and Demand Reports (SDRs) in their latest installment of an initiative that began in 2023 to develop high-level groundwater "budgets" for 51 Arizona basins. These reports are intended to help support local planning for water augmentation and conservation.

Cooperative Extension (Extension), the community outreach arm for the U of A, recently released a new Strategic Positioning Plan to help guide decision-making and priorities in the coming years. The plan, described on Extension’s website as “a forward-looking framework rooted in community insight, research, and decades of trusted partnerships,” was developed through a deliberate and inclusive process ...

On December 15, 2025, eight speakers, including both editors and authors of the Routledge Handbook of Water Diplomacy, provided a special WRRC Water Webinar to discuss building relationships, negotiating shared interests, and managing complex water challenges across physical, political, and societal boundaries. Over the course of the 90-minute webinar, each speaker offered a short presentation, followed by a panel during which they addressed virtual questions from attendees around the world. The webinar was co-convened by the Stockholm International Water Institute; the International Centre for Water Cooperation; the UNU Institute for Water, Environment and Health; and the Women in Water Diplomacy Network.

In January, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal will be the first speaker featured in a three-part lecture series entitled Running on Empty – Facing Water Scarcity across the Southwest, presented by Kol Ami Synagogue’s Dayenu Circle. Mike Crimmins, a climate scientist in the U of A’s Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, and Chairman Austin Nuñez of the San Xavier District in the Tohono O’odham Nation will also speak during this series focused on Arizona’s water future.