WRRC Weekly Wave 
November 13, 2015 
Volume 3, Issue 36

In This Issue:
  • Nov. 15-18: 107th Arizona Town Hall  
  • ADWR to Release Draft Fourth Management Plan for Tucson AMA
  • Fathoming Water: In-depth Discussions with Lisa Atkins and Tom Buschatzke

Upcoming Events
Nov. 15-18
Nov. 16-19
Nov. 19
Dec. 2
Mar. 8
Mar. 21
WRRC Brown Bag: Economic Aspect of the Yuma Case Study 
107th Arizona Town Hall: "Keeping Arizona's Water Glass Full"

107th Arizona Town Hall, "Keeping Arizona's Water Glass Full," is being held Nov. 15-18, 2015, in Mesa, Arizona. Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) Director, Sharon B. Megdal, and Asst. Director, Susanna Eden, were authors and editors on the background report prepared by Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and University of Arizona.
 
For over 50 years, Arizona Town Hall has been the neutral facilitator of state-wide forums that bring diverse Arizonans together for three days of discussion and consensus-building. Resulting recommendations have inspired many improvements for Arizona. This November the discussion topic is water and its relation to other aspects of the economy and society. Recommendations for solutions and next steps will be published following the Town Hall, available on the Arizona Town Hall website, and discussed at numerous community outreach programs convened around the state.
 

KXCI's Fathoming Water Series Addresses Water Management in Arizona with Lisa Atkins and Tom Buschatzke 

In the third episode of KXCI's Fathoming Water series, Melissa Mauzy discusses water management in Arizona with Lisa Atkins, President of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) Board of Directors, and Tom Buschatzke, Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR). 

Atkins and Buschatzke explain the water management responsibilities of ADWR and CAP and the relationship between the two entities. They also discuss the Nov. 6 CAP-WRRC sponsored community forum held at the Leo Rich Theather, "Sustainable Water for Southern Arizona: Current Conditions and Future Prospects," and what they each took away from it. The forum was attended by more than 200 people representing a cross section of the community, including government, academia, business, and more. KXCI was a media partner for the event.  


Fathoming Water: In-Depth Discussions is a KXCI series aiming to educate the general public about water in Arizona. 


Workshop: Alternatives for Closing Water Supply and Demand Gap in Upper Gila 

The WRRC, Arizona Cooperative Extension, and the Gila Watershed Partnership invite you to a day-long workshop to discuss alternatives for closing the water supply and demand gap for the Upper Gila Watershed on Dec. 2, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Eastern Arizona College Discovery Park in Safford, Arizona. 

At this meeting we will review water supply and demand now and into the future. We will also actively engage to develop water management alternatives. 


Lunch will be provided by Black Hills Catering for all attendees. In order to have an accurate count for lunch please RSVP here no later than Nov. 25th. If you cannot attend but would like to contribute to developing alternatives, please RSVP and let us know. 

ADWR to Release Draft Fourth Management Plan for Tucson AMA

The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) is set to release the Draft Fourth Management Plan for the Tucson Active Management Area (AMA) on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, at the AMA Groundwater Users Advisory Council (GUAC) meeting. The meeting is open to the general public and will be held at 10:00 a.m. at the Metro Water District Board Room, 6265 N. La Canada Drive, Tucson, Arizona. 

The Draft 2016 Plan of Operation for the Arizona Water Banking Authority will also be discussed at the Nov. 19 meeting. 


The GUAC provides recommendations to ADWR on groundwater management programs and policies within the AMA. 


Project WET to Hold Discovery Program Field Trip at Sweetwater Wetlands

On Nov. 24, Arizona Project WET will be holding a Discovery Program field trip at the Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson. 
The Discovery program engages people in exploration that leads to new nature discoveries in their communities via smartphone technology. Visitors embark on a journey using smartphone-accessible QR codes to guide them on a walk during which they investigate a scientific question and collect and report data. The program was developed by Arizona Project WET in partnership with Tucson Water and is open to the public at the Wetlands. 

This week, Project WET finished installing all of the signs for the Tucson Phenology Trail at the Wetlands. The Tucson Phenology trail is part of the USA National Phenology Network.



Call for Volunteers: 2016 AZ Hydrological Society Annual Symposium

The Arizona Hydrological Society (AHS) is seeking volunteers for the planning committee as well as various subcommittees: workshops, field trips, and speakers, for its 2016 Annual Symposium, which will be held at the Casino Del Sol Resort in Tucson. 

If interested, please attend the next AHS planning committee meeting on Wednesday, December 2 at 6:00 p.m. at the office of Montgomery & Associates, 1550 E. Prince Road, Tucson.  

For questions and more information, contact Molly Collins at (520) 837-2240 / (520) 262-5380. 

Call for Abstracts: Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture

The Water Education Foundation and the UC Davis Robert M. Hagan Endowed Chair are seeking abstracts for "Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture: The 2nd International Conference Linking Science and Policy." The conference will be held June 28-30, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency, San Francisco Airport in Burlingame. It covers a unique interdisciplinary range of topics related to understanding, managing, planning, and working at the interface between groundwater and agriculture. 


The abstract submission deadline is Jan. 15, 2016. 

Call for Abstracts: 2016 WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Expo 

Scheduled for Oct. 5-7, 2016, in Las Vegas, WaterSmart Innovations is accepting abstracts for oral presentations, panel discussions, or workshops. Professionals, scientists, government employees, organizations, public and private institutions, policy makers, students, and all others working in an industry dealing with water conservation or urban water efficiency may submit an abstract. 

The submission deadline is Friday, Feb. 5, 2016. 


Call for Abstracts: UCOWR/NIWR 2016 Annual Water Resources Conference  

The Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) and the National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) are holding their UCOWR/NIWR Annual Water Resources Conference on June 21-23, 2016, in Pensacola Beach, Florida. 

The Conference will focus on critical water issues in the southeastern United States. 

Abstracts for oral, panel, and poster presentations are invited and should be submitted by Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016.  



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, community outreach and engagement, and public education. The WRRC works closely with Arizona Cooperative Extension, a statewide non-formal education networking bringing research-based information into communities to help people improve their lives. For more information, visit us at wrrc.arizona.edu.