Sustainable water management is one of the most challenging issues of our time, especially in the arid western US. Maximizing the benefits of water supplies requires careful measurement of availability and use. However, one important information gap is compounding this challenge: the lack of consistent consumptive water use data for irrigated agriculture, which accounts for the majority of water use in the western US. To date, access to this data has been limited and expensive, keeping it out of the hands of most water users and decision-makers who could benefit from its use.
World Water Day Special Webinar - Managing Aquifer Recharge: A Showcase for Resilience and Sustainability
March 22, 2021
3:30 - 5:00 PM Arizona Time / 6:30 - 8:00 PM US Eastern Time
On Monday, March 22, the WRRC celebrated World Water Day with a webinar featuring the North American case studies included in the forthcoming UNESCO volume, Managing Aquifer Recharge: A Showcase for Resilience and Sustainability. In an excellent introductory presentation, Dr. Yan Zheng, lead editor of the volume, provided an overview of four lessons learned through analyzing the 28 MAR case studies, including the importance of supportive regulatory and permitting processes and improved community engagement efforts for the sustainability of MAR projects. Authors of the five North American case studies, among the 28 included in the book, presented their work. Arizona’s case study on the Arizona Water Banking Authority was presented by Ken Seasholes of the Central Arizona Project. This chapter, which was co-authored by WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal, who also moderated the panel, was unique in that it focused on an institution rather than a physical project. After the presentations of case studies from South Carolina, the Platte River watershed, California, and Sonora (MX) and comments by book co-editor Peter Dillon, a wide-ranging discussion shaped by questions from the engaged audience ensued. In addition to posting the recording and slides of the webinar, the WRRC will alert readers of the publication of this open-access book, which is expected in the not-too-distant future.
Upcoming Events
May 5 12:00PM
Brown Bag
Brown Bag Webinar: OpenET – Filling One of the Biggest Data Gaps in Water Management
May 24 8:00AM
Special Event
The International Arid Lands Consortium Virtual Conference
To commemorate 30 years of collaboration on arid lands issues, the International Arid Lands Consortium (IALC) is hosting a three-day international conference on arid lands. A key goal of the conference is to underscore the value of the IALC mission