Educational Insight on Important Water Issues
Newsletters
November 19, 2021
WRRC Weekly Wave: Infrastructure Deal is Big News for WRRC and Water Sector
Did you know that the WRRC was part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill? The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law this week, contains...
November 12, 2021
Weekly Wave: Reflections: Water, Recharge, and Life
Managed aquifer recharge (MAR), the term commonly used for the practice of storing water underground, often for later recovery or use, is a widely deployed...
November 05, 2021
Weekly Wave: Arizona Group Learns About Agriculture in Yaqui River Valley
Over the course of five days at the end of October, WRRC Program Manager Michael Seronde and his peers in Class 30 of Project CENTRL traveled to Ciudad...
October 29, 2021
Weekly Wave: Field Trip to GRIC’s MAR 5 Site Enlightens Attendees
On October 22, 2021, the Gila River Indian Community hosted over 60 people at the Managed Aquifer Recharge Site #5 (MAR 5) and Gila River Interpretive Trail...
October 22, 2021
Weekly Wave: Reflections: On the Meaning of Indigenous Water Resilience
Prior to the WRRC’s 2021 Annual Conference, Tribal Water Resilience in a Changing Environment, I penned an essay entitled “On the Meaning of Water...
October 15, 2021
Weekly Wave: Emerging Water Leaders Discuss the World’s Water Crisis
The WRRC is celebrating “Imagine a Day Without Water” on Thursday, October 21, with a special webinar featuring a 19-minute video on global water issues...
Articles, Reports and Other
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...
Water Harvesting
August 17, 2020
Water Matters
Water Matters is the newsletter from Tucson Water included with the monthly Utility Services Statements to customers. The first item is 10 Ways to Harvest Rain.
Read the bulletin
Water Harvesting
August 01, 2020
Rain Water Harvesting Saves Water and Supports Healthy Trees
Water conservation is an important issue in the Southwest. Many urban landscapes use native or desert-adapted plants to reduce the amount of irrigation needed. Harvesting rainwater is another strategy to supplement irrigation and reduce potable water use. Rainwater harvesting has become more popular in recent years for both commercial and private properties to conserve water. Other benefits include reducing stormwater runoff, flooding, and soil erosion, and getting free, good quality water for irrigating plants.
Reports
June 15, 2020
2020 WOTUS Rule
The United States has had a tumultuous relationship with one of its most precious resources — water. By the 1970s, aggressive development in the United States necessitated the implementation of regulatory measures to protect the environment. Since then, the debate has focused not on whether the environment should be protected, but how comprehensively that regulatory protection should extend. Nowhere has this debate been more evident than with the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS).
Journal Articles
June 01, 2020
Impacts of Variable Climate and Effluent Flows on the Transboundary Santa Cruz Aquifer
ABSTRACT: Assessing groundwater resources in the arid and semiarid borderlands of the United States and Mexico represents a challenge for land and water managers, particularly in the Transboundary Santa Cruz Aquifer (TSCA). Population growth, residential construction, and industrial activities have increased groundwater demand in the TSCA, in addition to wastewater treatment and sanitation demands. These activities, coupled with climate variability, influence the hydrology of the TSCA and emphasize the need for groundwater assessment tools for decision-making purposes. This study assesses the...
Journal Articles
November 01, 2019
An Overview of Managed Aquifer Recharge in Mexico and Its Legal Framework
In Mexico, one hundred of the 188 most important aquifers dedicated to agriculture and human consumption are over-exploited and 32 are a ected by seawater intrusion in coastal areas. Considering that Mexico relies on groundwater, it is vital to develop a portfolio of alternatives to recover aquifers and examine policies and programs regarding reclaimed water and stormwater. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) may be useful for increasing water availability and adapting to climate change in semi-arid regions of Mexico. In this paper, we present an overview of water recharge projects that have been...
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.