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WRRC Summer Wave
July 10, 2015
Volume 3, Issue 21
In This Issue:
- UA Water Economist Dr. Colby Honored with Medal by UCOWR
- C2E Announces Grant Award
- Reclamation Provides Grant for Lower Santa Cruz River Basin Study
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Upcoming Events
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July 26-28
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Aug. 25-27
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Sept. 16-19
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Nov. 2-3
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UA Water Economist Dr. Bonnie Colby Honored with Medal by UCOWR
Water economist Dr. Bonnie Colby of the University of Arizona (UA) Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) was recently awarded the Warren A. Hall Medal by the Universities' Council on Water Resources (UCOWR), in recognition of her outstanding accomplishments and distinction in the water resources field. She was nominated by WRRC Director and UCOWR board member Sharon B. Megdal and UA AREC Professor George Frisvold. Dr. Megdal presented Dr. Colby with the award at the UCOWR's Awards Banquet on June 18, 2015, at the Green Valley Ranch Resort in Las Vegas, NV.
Bonnie Colby has been a UA faculty member since 1983 in AREC. Her research, teaching, and outreach focus on evaluating economic tradeoffs in water and energy management, climate change adaptation, water conservation and incentive-based agreements to improve water supply reliability for agricultural, environmental, and urban needs. Dr. Colby has authored over one hundred journal articles and eight books. Learn more here.
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WRRC's Conserve2Enhance Program Announces Grant Awards
The Conserve2Enhance (C2E) program has recently chosen the two winners for this year's grant funding after thoroughly reviewing environmental project applications. The funding is donated by Tucsonans via the checkbox at the bottom of the paper water bill or through participation in the C2E program. The Feldman's neighborhood will receive approximately $7K to construct seven water harvesting basins, curb cuts, and swales along 1st Avenue. These will harvest storm water runoff to support native vegetation, which will provide habitat for wildlife. The other winner is the Sky Islands School, which will receive approximately $5K to build water harvesting basins around their entryway and parking area. Those areas see a large amount of storm water that now simply drains off the school site and into a wash. By capturing some of it on the property, the school will continue work already begun to upgrade on-site habitat.
Learn more about C2E here.
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APW Self-guided Tours Featured in Tucson NewsNet Daily Digest
Tucson News Daily Digest recently featured the self-guided tours available via smartphone at Sweetwater Wetlands. These tours are provided by Arizona Project WET(APW) in partnership with Tucson Water.
This new Discovery Program engages visitors through a journey along the path that surrounds the ponds and recharge basins. Guests can use a QR code reader app on any smart device to view the wetlands in a scientific way as they navigate around the 60-acre site. There are Botany, Hydrology, Ornithology, and Wildlife Biology Journeys available. The Discovery Program journeys were officially launched Thursday, April 30, 2015 at the Sweetwater Wetlands, 2551 W. Sweetwater Dr. The Sweetwater Wetlands is open to the public seven days a week for self-guided tours.
To view pictures from the April 30 launch of the Discovery Program Journeys, click here.
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Reclamation Provides $392,750 for Lower Santa Cruz River Basin Study
This month, the US Bureau of Reclamation announced that it will provide $1.5 million for river Basin studies about how to meet future water demands in Arizona, California, and New Mexico. For a study of the Lower Santa Cruz River Basin, Reclamation will provide $392,750, which will be matched by the study partner, the Southern Arizona Water Users Association. The Lower Santa Cruz River Basin encompasses 3,869 square miles in southeast Arizona and has a population of approximately 980,000 people, most of whom reside in the Tucson metropolitan area. The region, which relies heavily on water from the Central Arizona Project, is seeing declines in groundwater due to the ongoing drought. The basin study will identify the water resources needed to mitigate climate change impacts and improve water reliability for municipal, agricultural, and environmental demands. Learn more here.
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AWR Available for Download on Monday July 13th
The Summer Issue of the Water Resources Research Center's quarterly newsletter, Arizona Water Resource, will be available for download on Monday, July 13. This issue will feature Oregon's Pure Water Brew Sustainable Beer Challenge requiring contestants to use recycled wastewater as the base for their home-brews and an article on the recently released Moving Forward Phase 1 Report laying out potential approaches to closing the water supply-demand gap in the Colorado River Basin. The Summer 2015 AWR includes news, new resources, and a Guest View on Inter AMA water-firming. Also included is the WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal's Public Policy Review column, "Details Matter." Sign up to receive the AWR here.
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U.S. EPA Launches Campus Rainworks Challenge
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding its fourth annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a green infrastructure design competition for undergraduate and graduate students. Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design boards, a project narrative, and a letter of support for a green infrastructure project on their campuses showing how managing stormwater at its source can benefit the campus community and the environment. Student teams will be encouraged to incorporate climate resiliency into their stormwater management designs. Registration opens September 1 and ends September 30. Registrants must submit their entries by December 18. Learn more here.
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Call for Abstracts: Arizona Hydrologic Society 2015 Symposium
The Arizona Hydrological Society (AHS) is holding its 2015 Annual Symposium on September 16-19, 2015 at the Desert Willow Conference Center in Phoenix, AZ. AHS is soliciting abstracts for papers and posters to be presented at this year's symposium. The symposium is a premier event in the Southwest for hydrology and water resources science, engineering, and public policy. Topics will focus on water and water science in Arizona and the Southwestern U.S., including atmospheric studies, Colorado River issues, environmental contaminant movement, forest restoration and watershed management, recharge and recovery, water harvesting, and more. Abstracts are due July 30, 2015. Learn more here.
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Arid Tucson Leads Way in Water Conservation Out West: Al Jazeera America
In a recent article, Al Jazeera America says, as a leader in water conservation in the West, Tucson may have lessons for drought-stricken California and other water-starved areas. Despite growing populations, Tucson has cut its per capita water consumption by about a third since the mid-1970s. The article also mentions the city's tiered rates, rainwater and greywater harvesting rebate programs, and other water conservation measures. Further efforts to foster a thrifty water culture include education on sustainable use that reached 32,000 students and teachers in the service area last year, Smartscape workshops on best practices for professional landscapers, and mandatory classes for those seeking water harvesting rebates. Read the article here. |
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