WRRC Weekly Wave
April 11, 2014 
Volume 2, Issue 14

In This Issue:
  • Arizona Project WET Heads to the Colorado River Delta
  • April 17: EnWaP Phoenix Workshop
  • April 18: WSP Student Fellows Presentations

... And much more!


Upcoming Events
April 17
April 18
April 19
April 22
April 23
April 28
Prescott Workshop: Transferability of GCASE Project MethodologyPhoenix Workshop: Transferability of GCASE Project Methodology
Thank you! WRRC Annual Conference Draws 350 Attendees

 

The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) annual conference, "Closing the Gap Between Water Supply and Demand," was held April 8, 2014 at the UA Student Union Memorial Center in Tucson. Organized in partnership with the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the conference attracted 350 attendees from 43 Arizona communities, the Navajo Nation, the Yavapai Apache Nation, the San Carlos Apache Tribe, the Gila River Indian Community, the Colorado River Indian Tribes and the Fort Yuma-Quechan Tribe, and featured presentations and commentary from speakers, panelists and audience members. 

 

A poster session, with 24 water-themed posters, included a competition for best student poster, with cash prizes donated by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.  Throughout the day, it was noted that 2014 marks the WRRC's 50th anniversary, an occasion celebrated by all attendees during the poster session.

 

The WRRC would like to thank our very generous conference sponsors, which included public and private water sectors throughout Arizona. We would also like to thank the keynote speakers, moderators, panelists, sponsors, attendees, volunteers, students and staff who helped make our 2014 Annual Conference such a success.
Mark Taylor 
Presentation: Tackling Water Quality Issues in Bolivia and Guatemala
Speaker: Mark Taylor, PE, Principal
Time: 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Location: WRRC Sol Resnick Conference Room (350 N. Campbell Ave.)   
This presentation will focus on water quality-related issues in developing countries, in particular Bolivia and Guatemala. The most alarming water quality issues in these countries are related to acute contaminants, more specifically microbial contamination of their source waters. Through various pictures and stories, Mark Taylor will present his experiences on the water quality issues in these two countries. 

Ariel Dinar 
Presentation: Modeling Water Scarcity and Droughts to Analyze Climate Change Adaptation Policies in Spain's Jucar Basin
Speaker: Ariel Dinar (Prof. of Environmental Economics and Policy, Director of Water Science and Policy Center, UC Riverside)
Growing agricultural and urban water extractions combined with worldwide emerging environmental demands increase water resources competition worldwide, especially in arid and semiarid regions. Climate change would exacerbate water scarcity and the recurrence and intensity of droughts, calling for methodologies that can support sustainable management policies. Prof. Ariel Dinar will present his paper on an integrated hydro-economic model that links a reduced form hydrological component with economic and environmental components. 


Arizona Project WET Team Helps Restore Colorado River Delta Habitat

Water educators from Arizona Project WET (APW) traveled to the Colorado River delta in Sonora, Mexico April 9-11 with the Sonoran Institute and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The APW Team assisted with restoration of the delta habitat during a temporary "pulse flow" of the River, which is expected to last eight weeks. On March 23, the gates of the Morelos Dam were opened, initiating a release of 105,392 acre-feet (approx. 34 billion gallons) of water into the Colorado River delta.  

Read updated blog posts here


Learn more about APW's trip to the delta here


GCASE Program to Host Four April Workshops with HRC San Diego

The WRRC will host four workshops with the Hydrologic Research Center (HRC) of San Diego during the month of April on the GCASE (Groundwater, Climate And Stakeholder Engagement) program. The GCASE team is seeking workshop participants' input to help determine the transferability within Arizona and to other regions of the innovative modeling and engagement methodologies employed by the project. GCASE will host its first workshop in Prescott on April 22 (1:30 - 3:30 p.m.); followed by a Phoenix workshop April 23 (9 - 11 a.m.); a

Tucson workshop April 29 (1:30 - 3:30 p.m.); and an Upper San Pedro workshop April 30 (10 a.m. - 12 p.m.). Learn more here.

 
April 18: WRRC to Host WSP Student Fellows' End-of-Year Presentations
 

Please join the UA Water Sustainability Program (WSP) on Friday, April 18 from 4:30 to 6 p.m., when the WSP Student Fellows will present hightlights from their research undertaken over this academic year. Presentations will be held at the WRRC (350 N. Campbell Ave.) in the Sol Resnick Conference Room. The Fellows worked on a range of water-related topics, including monsoon variability, phytostabilization of mine tailings, water demand on the San Pedro watershed, drinking water quality along the U.S.-Mexico border, water infrastructure planning, the water-energy nexus, water quality and recharge, and use of recycled water for algal biofuel production. Read more here.


 
RSVP Today for April 18 EnWaP Phoenix Regional Workshop

 

RSVP today for the EnWaP (Connecting the Environment to Arizona Water Planning) program's April 18 workshop in Phoenix. Part of EnWaP's Roadmap series to determine future recommendations for water management and planning, the workshop will be held from 12 - 4:30 p.m. at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Building (4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix).

Click here
 
to RSVP for this event. EnWaP will also host two other regional Roadmap events on May 16 in Flagstaff, and May 21 in Yuma. Learn more here. 

 
Brown Bag Video: Arizona Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (3/25)

 

Video coverage of the WRRC's March 25 Brown Bag seminar, "An Insider's Look at WIFA and WIFA-Funded Infrastructure Projects: The Most Needed, the Most Unique, the Most Sustainable," is now available on YouTube.

Watch it here:

Arizona Water Infrastructure Finance Authority Brown Bag
Arizona Water Infrastructure Finance Authority Brown Bag
 
Arizona Daily Wildcat: Conference Addresses Water Conservation


The WRRC Annual Conference was featured on the front page of the April 9 Wildcat.
Read the full story here.

 

Sierra Vista Herald: U of A To Host Water Management Workshop


The WRRC and the Hydrologic Research Center of San Diego will host a series of workshops on the GCASE Project.
Read more here.

 

UA News: UA Conference to Focus on Closing Water Supply Gap in Arizona  


UA
News highlights the April 8 WRRC Annual Conference. Learn more here.

 

April is Arizona Water Awareness Month: Learn More About Your Water!

 

The month of April is Water Awareness Month (WAM) in Arizona. Every day this month, learn something new about your water supply in our arid state by exploring the WAM website.

 

The site lists events throughout the state -- including WRRC and Water RAPIDS events -- daily water saving tips, and information on xeriscaping, watering plants, rainwater and graywater harvesting, 

water-efficient appliances and much more.

 

Learn more here.


The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) - a unit within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) - promotes understanding of critical state and regional water management and policy issues through research, education and outreach. The WRRC works closely with Arizona Cooperative Extension, a CALS outreach organization that  provides a statewide network of knowledgeable faculty and staff that provides lifelong educational programs for all Arizonans. For more information, visit us at wrrc.arizona.edu.