The Spring 2018 Arizona Water Resource highlights the WRRC’s Annual Conference: The Business of Water, held on March 28th at the University of Arizona Student Union Memorial Center in Tucson. The approximately 300 attendees heard talks and discussions, view posters, and interacted with friends, new and old, on a broad range of topics. A feature article and accompanying photographs summarize the proceedings. A Guest View by Richard Morrison, Chairman of Morrison Enterprises, reprises the remarks he prepared for the conference panel on water transactions in which he lays out the case for applying ethical principles to water policy. WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal’s Public Policy Review column presents her take-away messages from the day. In addition, the WRRC’s Student Outreach Assistant, Sam Potteiger, writes about the value of citizen science to expand data collection on Arizona’s water resources. And the News Briefs and Resources sections offer a taste of what’s new in the world of water.
The Business of Water Broadly Interpreted at 2018 Annual Conference
The Business of Water is an unusual topic for a water conference, despite the fact that business considerations enter into most, if not all decisions affecting water resources. What exactly is the business of water and what aspects of the topic should a conference address?
Arizona’s Citizen Scientists Make an Impact
Natural resource scientists and managers depend on data, which is often costly and difficult collect. Much remains unknown about natural systems and processes because of the lack of data. Citizen science engages members of the community in scientific investigations through observation and other data collection activities.
Water Transactions: Ethical Considerations
March 22 was World Water Day. I read some accounts of conferences held around the world on that day. I couldn’t help but be interested in the fact that, at one of these meeting, the conferees voted to oppose the sale of water rights. Can that be surprising?
Public Policy Review - Why the Business Of Water is Everyone’s Business
On March 28, 2018, the Water Resources Research Center held its annual conference. The topic, The Business of Water, was selected to bring attention to the myriad ways in which monetary considerations influence water management decisions and investment.
Resources
- Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River
- OECD Principles: From Policy Standards to Practice
- Dramatic Declines in Snowpack in the Western US
- Divergent Trends of Open Surface Water Body Area in the Contiguous United States During 1984 to 2016