News

Arizona's economy has been booming since the COVID-19 pandemic began to slow. Low unemployment, growing wages and increasing population have persisted for years, but so have less positive indicators like inflation and skyrocketing housing prices.

For the first time in decades, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has added new chemicals to the list of substances regulated by drinking water standards and updated the Superfund law, targeting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

I had the privilege of attending the Water Resources Research Center's annual conference for the first time this year, and I had a fantastic experience.

The WRRC 2024 Annual Conference, Water Solutions Through Partnerships, which took place last week, highlighted examples of collaborations that are successfully addressing Arizona’s water issues. The event was well-attended, with 246 in-person attendees, and 406 others joining virtually on Zoom.

During the second half of February, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal participated in multiple meetings and conferences. On February 20, she had the pleasure of speaking about the WRRC with Australian visitors sponsored by the Aurora Education Foundation and hosted by the Native Nations Institute of the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy.

The University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) is extending the deadline for proposals for the USGS-funded 104(b) small research grants to March 27, 2024.

Publicado en enero de 2024 en Water Economics and Policy, el artículo de Policy Nook titulado “Crafting Binational Groundwater Agreements: Preconditions for Progress” (Acuerdos Binacionales sobre Aguas Subterráneas: Precondiciones para el Progreso)

Published in January 2024 in Water Economics and Policy, the Policy Nook article titled “Crafting Binational Groundwater Agreements: Preconditions for Progress” examines the challenges impeding diplomatic advances in bilateral cooperation on transboundary aquifer sharing and explores opportunities, including a framework agreement for binational groundwater, to enhance stewardship of shared aquifers.

We at the WRRC were saddened to learn that our friend and colleague, Dr. James (Jim) Riley, emeritus professor in Environmental Sciences at the University of Arizona, passed away on December 7, 2023. Dr. Riley retired from the UArizona in 2013 following a long career focused on water in arid environments.