Reflections

A commentary series by University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center Director Sharon B. Megdal, Reflections essays are published several times a year through the Weekly Wave.

Please click the button below to access a compendium of Reflections.

Compendium (PDF)

Sweetwater Wetlands. Photo: Sharon B. Megdal

Jun 2025

Reflections: Major Issues Await Action

Each Spring, I typically reflect separately upon take-aways from teaching the graduate seminar, Water Policy in Arizona and Semi-arid Regions, and from the…

Mar 2025

Reflections: On World Water Day 2025 and Local to Global Engagement

March 22 is the annual World Water Day. Since 1993, the United Nations has designated this day to bring awareness to different aspects of freshwater…

(L to R) GRIC Lt. Governor Regina Antone, AZ Governor Katie Hobbs, and GRIC Governor Stephen Roe Lewis. Image: Sharon B. Megdal

Dec 2024

Reflections: Ending the Year on a Note of Optimism

On December 10, I attended the 20th anniversary Water Rights Day celebration of the Gila River Indian Community Water Rights Settlement. The settlement, which…

View of Curry Seed and Chile Co. in the Willcox Groundwater Basin.

Dec 2024

Reflections: Groundwater at the Epicenter

Groundwater is in the news. In Arizona, attention is focused on rural groundwater, and the availability of groundwater in more populated parts of the state,…

Sep 2024

Reflections: On Stockholm World Water Week 2024 and Bridging Borders

Bridging Borders: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future was the theme of the 2024 Stockholm World Water Week conference. Organized by the Stockholm…

Jul 2024

Reflections: 60 Years of the WRRC and 20 Years as WRRC Director

This summer marks a key milestone for the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. On July 17, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the…

Jun 2024

Reflections: On Participating in the 10th World Water Forum

Water for shared prosperity was the theme of the 10th World Water Forum, which was held May 18–25 in Bali, Indonesia. My work has taken me to Europe and the…

May 2024

Reflections: On Networking and My Path to the 10th World Water Forum

I write this while traveling to the 10th World Water Forum, which is being held in Bali, Indonesia from May 18 through May 25. Networking is foundational to muc…

Mar 2024

Reflections on World Water Day 2024

This Reflections essay is being published on March 22, which is World Water Day. UN-Water, which coordinates the United Nations’ work on water and sanitation…

Jan 2024

Reflections: Repeating Some Themes

The arrival of a new year has caused me to look back over the past 20 years of my teaching, writing, and speaking on Arizona’s water challenges.

Imágenes: Audiencia Legislativa de la Subcomisión de Agua, Vida Salvaje y Pesca, octubre 25, 2023

Oct 2023

Reflexiones: Testificando durante la Reautorización del Programa de Evaluación de Acuíferos Transfronterizos

El 25 de octubre de 2023 tuve el honor de presentar mi testimonio sobre la Resolución de la Cámara de Representantes H.R. 5874 en el Comité de Recursos…

Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries legislative hearing, Oct. 25, 2023

Oct 2023

Reflections: Testifying on Reauthorization of the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program

On October 25, 2023, I had the honor of presenting testimony on H.R. 5874 at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on…

(L to R) Aana Edmondson, Camille Calimlim Touton, Lorelei Cloud, Daryl Vigil, Sharon Megdal, Michelle Brown-Yazzie, Erina Watene, Leslie ”Phil” Duncan

Sep 2023

Reflections: Respect, Responsibility, Reciprocity, and Relationship

I recently returned from attending Stockholm World Water Week (WWW), the annual international water conference organized by the Stockholm International Water…

Aug 2023

Reflections: On Annual Conference Key Themes – and Questions About 2024

The WRRC’s 2023 Annual Conference, held in mid-July, tackled this key question: What can we do to address Arizona’s water challenges? We developed the agenda…

Jul 2023

Reflections: On a Busy Spring

It is July, more than three months since my last Reflections, which was written from the UN Water Conference on World Water Day. The reason for the gap: an…