Educational Insight on Important Water Issues
Newsletters
April 29, 2022
Weekly Wave - Upcoming Special Event: INHABITANTS Panel & Asynchronous Screening
As part of the WRRC’s Indigenous Water Dialogues, we are pleased to announce a special panel discussion of INHABITANTS: Indigenous Perspectives On...
April 22, 2022
Weekly Wave: WRRC Invites Your Support: Sponsor Our 2022 Annual Conference
The 2022 WRRC Conference, Arizona’s Agricultural Outlook: Water, Climate, and Sustainability, is quickly approaching. The conference will begin July 12...
April 15, 2022
Weekly Wave: WRRC Participates in ISMAR11 Conference
This week, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Post-doctoral Researcher Mary-Belle Cruz Ayala participated in the 11th International Symposium on...
April 08, 2022
Weekly Wave: AZ Agriculture: In the National Spotlight and Focus of 2022 WRRC Annual Conference
Under the Tier 1 shortage declared for the Colorado River this year, about 30% of the Central Arizona Project’s (CAP) supply is curtailed, with cuts...
April 01, 2022
Weekly Wave: Reflections: Commemorating World Water Day 2022, Part II
In Part I of this two-part Reflections, I discussed how World Water Day is celebrated each year on March 22. The 2022 World Water...
March 25, 2022
WRRC Weekly Wave: World Water Day 2022 – In Tucson and Around the World
March 22 is World Water Day, so designated by the United Nations in 1993. It is observed annually, here in Arizona and throughout the world, by stakeholders...
Articles, Reports and Other
Journal Articles
August 10, 2021
Science and Binational Cooperation: Bidirectionality in theTransboundary Aquifer Assessment Program in the Arizona-Sonora Border Region
Abstract:Sharing scientific data and information is often cited within academic literature as aninitial step of water cooperation, but the transfer of research findings into policy and practice is oftenslow and inconsistent. Certain attributes—including salience, credibility, and legitimacy of scientificinformation; iterative information production; and sociocultural factors—may influence how easilyscientific information can be used in management and policymaking. However, transnationalityusually complicates these sorts of interactions. Accordingly, we argue that the production of scien-tific...
Journal Articles
May 01, 2021
A Review of Climate Change Impacts on the USA-Mexico Transboundary Santa Cruz River Basin
Abstract: In the parched Upper Santa Cruz River Basin (USCRB), a binational USA–Mexico basin, the water resources depend on rainfall-triggered infrequent flow events in ephemeral channels to recharge its storage-limited aquifers. In-situ data from the basin highlight a year-round warming trend since the 1980s and a concerning decline in average precipitation (streamflow) from 1955–2000 to 2001–2020 by 50% (87.6%) and 17% (63%) during the winter and summer, respectively. Binational sustainable management of the basins water resources requires a careful consideration of prospective climatic...
Water Harvesting
April 01, 2021
Choosing Large-scale Rain Harvesting for Potable Supply
As groundwater becomes harder to access in many areas of Arizona, risks and costs associated with groundwater wells have become an important economic consideration for property owners. Groundwater is considered a non-renewable water supply when aquifers do not recover enough from pumping to reliably produce water from the same level through time. Water may refill the aquifer very slowly, so slowly that the groundwater being pumped today may be thousands of years old. Once more water is pumped than is recharged, an aquifer is in overdraft, with multiple potential negative effects, including...
Journal Articles
March 22, 2021
Looming Water Gap in the Colorado River Basin Leads Two Arizona Communities toward Integrated Land and Water Planning
Arguably, managing water separately from land was one of the great missteps of the 20th century. Turning our eyes to past practices, and recognizing the role watersheds play in the health of the environment and our communities, we see that land and water must be managed together as integrated social-natural systems. This issue of Water Resources IMPACT is a companion to the AWRA 2021 Virtual Summer Conference: Connecting Land & Water for Healthy Communities, convening in July 2021. As co-chair of the AWRA Integrated Water Resources Management Technical Committee, and in partnership with...
Water Harvesting
March 01, 2021
Preparing Rainwater for Potable Use
Rainwater harvesting can provide a realistic source of water for homeowners living in remote areas or those who for one reason or another prefer not to use their groundwater inside the house. Local groundwater may have problems common in many parts of Arizona: high mineral content, naturally occurring elements such as arsenic and fluoride, and contaminants from various sources, such as overflowing septic tanks, and agricultural, industrial or mining activities. Homeowners may have low-yield or seasonally dry wells and wish to avoid trucking in water. They may be unwilling or unable to drill...
Peer Reviewed Articles
February 18, 2021
The U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program as a Model for Transborder Groundwater Collaboration
The assessment of transboundary aquifers is essential for the development of groundwater management strategies and the sustainable use of groundwater resources. The Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) is a joint effort by the United States and Mexico to evaluate shared aquifers. This study examines the TAAP Cooperative Framework as a guide for further transboundary groundwater collaboration. We compared lessons learned from six transboundary aquifers that currently have mechanisms for groundwater collaboration to identify common elements of collaboration. Though the TAAP...
Information Sources
March 29, 2011
AzEWN Assessment and Methodology Guidebook Brochure
AzEWN Assessment and Methodology Guidebook Brochure: This document is a four-page color brochure highlighting the contents of the Arizona Environmental Water Needs Assessment Report and Methodology Guidebook.
Protecting Arizona’s natural environment, water supply, and open spaces is a high priority for Arizona citizens. The Arizona Environmental Water Needs Assessment systematically assembled technical information about the environment’s water needs that can be used in water planning and policymaking statewide. AzEWNA documents and inventory data are intended to improve...
August 01, 2009
Arizona Well Owners' Guide to Water Supply
This booklet is intended for Arizona residents who depend on private wells for their water needs. Well owners who want to become familiar with Arizona's groundwater sources, water quality and water testing options, and well maintenance issues should read this booklet. Topics include:
An overview of the state's water resources and how Arizona's major cities use these resources.
A description of Arizona's geology and how location affects the quantity and quality of aquifer water resources in our state.
Common contaminant found in Arizona's...
March 01, 2008
Well Owners' Guide to Ground Water Resources in Yavapai County
An individual in an industrialized urban society may use from one million to five million gallons of water during their lifetime. If the share of industrial, agricultural, and recreational usage is counted, the total amount of water may exceed ten million gallons per capita. Water resources are those sources of water that meet the need of the individual and society, and the value of that resource depends on demand and availability. Our arid climate, coupled with increasing demands on water supply and the over—allocation of surface water resources, forces much of Yavapai County to rely on...
December 01, 2007
Layperson's Guide to Arizona Water
As part of its commitment to serve the water education needs of Arizona citizens, the Water Resources Research Center teamed up with the Water Education Foundation to produce the Layperson’s Guide to Arizona Water. The publication meets a longstanding need: it offers in a single, reader-friendly source information Arizona citizens need to be well informed about state water issues. Few would doubt the need for a layperson’s guide or primer describing the ins and outs of Arizona water. Arizona is a rapidly growing state attracting people from many different areas who need to be...
June 30, 2007
Arizona Conserve Water Educators' Guide
Arizona Conserve Water is a publication dedicated to the premise that it is never too early to learn to conserve water. The K-12 educators' guide is a tool to help Arizona teachers develop among their students a knowledge and respect for water in their semi-arid home state.
The guide is divided into four sections. Part I provides students with a brief overview of Arizona geography, water history, water management and conservation. Students become more actively involved with Part II, a collection of 15 lesson plans presenting creative, hands-on activities to teach students about water...
October 15, 2005
Rain Barrel Water Harvesting Guide
The southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico have generally dry climates and rapidly growing populations. Both Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, have limited water resources and must rely on the drought-prone Santa Cruz River for 50 percent or more of their water supply.
A 6-page "how-to" guide on the basic principles of rain barrel water harvesting and information about installing your own system. This guide was prepared for the Nogales Rainwater Harvesting Open House.