ABOUT THE COLLECTION

The AWR newsletter, published quarterly, provides news and features on state and regional water issues, as well as information on upcoming events, research, publications and other resources.

Recent Submissions

  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 20 No. 2 (Spring 2012)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Nadeau, Joanna B.; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2012)
    When the captain announced the plane’s descent, I put my book down and peered out the window as I always do. I saw sand dunes first, leading my eye to a small mountain range flanked by dirt roads and farm fields. The mountains framed successive basins, each with the same dry ground spotted with desert shrubs. After the next range, a city emerged. Densely packed buildings appeared beside finished roads. And the canals ran from the farm fields into the city, running full next to dry riverbeds. It looked a lot like Tucson. But I was in Torreon, Mexico.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 80 No. 3 (July-September 1980)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center. (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 1980-07)
    With the generous cooperation of Peabody Coal Company, the financial support of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and the ingenuity of two University of Arizona scientists, surface-mined land on northern Arizona's Black Mesa is being reclaimed using a unique water-harvesting and agriculture technique. Peabody annually mines about 200 acres for coal on Black Mesa to fuel the Mojave and Navajo power generating plants at Bullhead City and Page, Arizona, respectively.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 9 No. 5 (March-April 2001)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center. (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2001-03)
    The poet Frank O'Hara was obviously on the side of the urbanist when he wrote, "I can't even enjoy a blade of grass unless I know there's a subway handy." The urban ecologist looks beyond this view, with its division of the world into the natural environment and areas inhabited by humans, a dichotomy variously expressed as city vs. country, urban vs. rural, or the great outdoors vs. crowded city spaces.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 1 No. 1 (Spring 2009)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Gelt, Joe; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2009)
    Arizona has another Wild and Scenic River; Fossil Creek with it’s the travertine geological formations and crystal clear waters now shares the same protected designation as a segment of the middle Verde River, the state’s only other Wild and Scenic River. Approving Fossil Creek’s special designation was a detail in a massive piece of legislation, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, a package of over 160 bills, that set aside more than 2 million acres of newly protected wilderness in nine states. More than 3.3 million acres of public lands in Arizona gained permanent protection. President Obama signed the law on March 30. Fossil Creek is an Arizona success story, an environmental rags-to-riches tale. Dammed early last century for power generation, Fossil Creek’s once quick-running water was a mere a trickle until the turn of this century. In 1999, Arizona Public Service shut down the power plants, and restoration efforts commenced. The dam was lowered and diversions ceased in June 2005, restoring full flows to the creek. This is the first Arizona watercourse to have a major water retention structure retired. In its heyday Fossil Creek was considered the fourth largest travertine system in the world. Fed by underground streams, it ran year-round almost 17 miles to the Verde River, its waters rich with calcium carbonate from the limestone aquifer below. Fossil Creek was one of 86 newly established Wild and Scenic Rivers with others located in California, Idaho, Massachusetts, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming. Efforts are underway to gain support for a Wild and Scenic listing of another Arizona River, the Blue River, a tributary to the San Francisco River. Rivers or segment of rivers are designated Wild and Scenic to protect special qualities including scenic, recreational, geologic, and fish and wildlife; they are not to be dammed or otherwise impeded to protect their free-flowing condition. The recently passed law also provides other water-related provisions benefitting the state. Funding was authorized to support the federal government’s role in a comprehensive effort to preserve wildlife habitat along the lower Colorado River. The bill also authorized the Secretary of the Interior to consider ways to supplement water supplies in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed to benefit Fort Huachuca and the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 18 No. 2 (Spring 2010)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Gelt, Joe; Lamberton, Melissa L.; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2010)
    The water resource field is among those areas expected to benefit from nanotechnology, its application holding special promise for treatment and remediation; sensing and detection; and pollution prevention. That cuts a rather wide swath in the water resources field. The nanorevolution or movement is being met with both optimism and caution as scientists ponder how best to take advantage of its benefits and at the same time understand and reckon with its possible risks.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 18 No. 3 (Summer 2010)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Gelt, Joe; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2010)
    Novelist John Updike is taking a dim view of leadership when he asks in his novel, Rabbit is Rich, “How can you respect the world when you see it’s being run by a bunch of kids turned old?” The Water Resources Research Center conference was organized with a far loftier idea of leadership, at least in the water and environmental field. Titled “Creating New Leadership for Arizona’s Water and Environment in a Time of Change,” the conference was premised on the belief that present and up-and-coming leaders share a commitment to ensure future wise management of the state’s water and environment. With due respect to Updike, the conference recognized that many graduating students, the bunch of kids who will be turning older, will be the emerging leaders in the water and the environmental field. This, however, is seen as a cause of optimism; the conference recognized their talents and offered an opportunity to advance their interests. A program lineup of seasoned professionals in the water and environmental field and promising rookies was part of the game plan for addressing conference issues. The conference raised some critical questions: What kinds of leaders are needed to navigate a future marked by change and uncertainty? What is the best way to foster these leaders? The meeting served as a forum for participants, both established professionals and emerging leaders, those who have long labored in the field and those getting started, to work together to answer the very challenging questions. This special edition of the Arizona Water Resource newsletter provides conference coverage, identifying major issues and noting some of the recommendations and findings from the different sessions. What is included is necessarily selective. Hopefully, however, the featured highlights will show that the conference was a vigorous and engaging event. Additional conference information is available at the WRRC web site: cals.arizona.edu/azwater.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol.19 No. 3 (Summer 2011)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; McCloskey, Jennifer; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2011)
    From May 2010 to March 2011, Reclamation conducted a pilot run of the Yuma Desalting Plant (YDP) and demonstrated its potential to augment lower Colorado River supplies. Over 30,000 acre-feet of irrigation return flow was recycled preserving a like amount of Colorado River water in Lake Mead, approximately the amount of water used by 116,000 people in a year.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 16 No. 4 (March-April 2008)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center. (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2008)
    Special double issue! This publication is a "twofer" containing a shortened version of the Arizona Water Resource newsletter along with the most recent edition of Arroyo focusing on river restoration projects in the state. The AWR notes the 50th anniversary of the Water Resources Research Center. In some ways the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center is one among many, one of the 54 water institutes established by the Water Resources Research Act of 1964. The federal act authorized establishing water institutes in each state and in four U.S. territories
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 19 No. 2 (Spring 2011)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Przybylowicz, Stephan Elizander; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2011)
    Water draws people together because water is life. However, when many people, animals, and industries are competing over limited water, things can get tense. Transboundary aquifers are sources of groundwater that defy our political boundaries and often lead to intense conversation about what should be done in order to give everyone a fair share.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 20 No. 3 (Summer 2012)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Prietto, Jacob; Schwartz, Kerry; Thomas-Hilburn, Holly; Rupprecht, Candice; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2012)
    In recent years, U.S. employers have been reaching out internationally in order to fill job vacancies in highly skilled science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. This situation has led to calls for better STEM education in the United States. Innovative educational initiatives have emerged to answer the call for more professional competence in these STEM areas. In his 2012 State of the Union address to Congress, President Barrack Obama again emphasized the need to interest and educate young people to become the scientists, engineers and mathematicians of the future. “Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job.” The challenge, he said, is providing the right educational environment for teachers and students to excel.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 20 No. 4 (Fall 2012)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Eden, Susanna; McEvoy, Jamie; Mclain, Jean; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2012)
    Fungicide in orange juice, Arsenic in apple juice, Listeria in cantaloupe--these are the latest “food safety issues you care about” listed at foodandwaterwatch.org. But how important are these issues? The public can see Food and Drug Administration reports on all three by going to the FDA website. An outbreak of Listeria associated with contaminated cantaloupe caused 30 deaths in 2011, and concern continued in 2012 with an additional death and recalls of potentially contaminated fruit. Washing the fruit before cutting it might have lowered the death toll. Responsibility for food safety lies with the consumer, who should be informed about the real risks of foodborne illness. But it also extends to a wide range of parties including farmers, producers, processors, and establishments that serve food. All of these people need reliable, science-based information to ensure the safety of our food supply.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 21 No. 3 (Summer 2013)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Radonic, Lucero; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2013)
    On Saturday, June 1, 2013, water was released from Elephant Butte Reservoir in South Central New Mexico into the Rio Grande. It took more than two days to travel the 80 miles to fields near Las Cruces, as water soaked into the parched riverbed. Waiting for the flow were chile, pecan, cotton and alfalfa growers in Southern New Mexico, Western Texas and Mexico, as well as the city of El Paso, Texas, which depends on the Rio Grande for half its water supply.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 77 No. 5,6 (September-December 1977)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center. (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 1977)
    Preliminary proposals seeking funding during FY-1979 from the U.S. Office of Water Research and Technology (OWRT) Annual Allotment Grant are being invited by the Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) at the University of Arizona.
  • Arizona Water Resource No. 4 (June 1998)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center. (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 1998-06)
    Increased precipitation from El Niño ensures more abundant vegetative growth, which in turn raises concern about increased fire hazards, especially during Arizona's summer fire season. Whatever fire hazards are due this year to El Niño are not being experienced evenly throughout the state, however, with some areas actually having less fires. And, in some cases, El Niño's legacy may not be apparent this season, but instead be evident by fires in future years.
  • Arizona Water Resource No. 3 (February 1998)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center. (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 1998-02)
    Because of El Niño's seemingly late start and uncertain progress, a pattern that did not conform to some early predictions, some people in the western United States question what effect El Niño finally will have on the area; some even believe the event might be diminishing. El Niño, however, should not be lightly dismissed, as recent rains demonstrate. A January report from the U.S. Weather Service's Tucson office confirms El Niño's continued presence: 'We are currently in a strong El Niño episode, which is forecast to continue through April 1998. This episode is similar in magnitude and aerial extent to that of 1982-83, which is considered the strongest of the century."
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 21 No. 1 (Winter 2013)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Witte, Becky; Mitchell, Katharine; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2013)
    In November 2012, five people were elected for the Central Arizona Water Conservation District. The CAWCD and its board members may not be well known to the general public, but they play an important role in Arizona water policy. The CAWCD manages, operates, and directs policy for the Central Arizona Project (CAP), the supplier of approximately 1.5 million acre-feet of water for Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties. This water is critical for the people of Central Arizona
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 21 No. 2 (Spring 2013)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Eden, Susanna; Mitchell, Katharine; Pepper, Ian L.; Witte, Becky; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2013)
    The opportunity to hear expert presentations and discussion on the issue of water security attracted approximately 300 people to the WRRC’s annual conference, “Water Security from the Ground Up”. The audience represented more than 40 communities across Arizona.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 20 No. 1 (Winter 2012)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Przybylowicz, Stephan; Isaak, Marissa T; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2012)
    Global Water Brigades (GWB) is a program under Global Brigades, the largest student-led, non-profit, sustainable development organization in the world. Global Brigades works on a holistic model with disciplines in water, public health, medical, dental, architecture, environmental, law, business, and micro-finance. Students across the U.S., and around the world, start chapters at their universities to mobilize students in projects that empower rural areas in Honduras, Panama, and Ghana to improve their conditions. Water Brigades specifically develops clean water solutions for rural Honduras and Ghana. Throughout the school year, GWB discuss and assess the community. Then, over spring break, the group goes to actually build the water system. GWB work alongside community members and make a one day educational presentation to the local school about the importance of clean water. The UA chapter began in September 2010. Last year, UA only had water and medical disciplines as Global Brigades chapters on campus. Now there are two medical groups, dental, public health and business; and a law brigade is starting.
  • Arizona Water Resource Vol. 19 No. 4 (Fall 2011)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center.; Przybylowicz, Stephan; Riggs, Alanna; Megdal, Sharon (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2011)
    “It’s a promise to be a good citizen of the world, protecting the Earth’s natural resources through innovation and more efficient use of land, energy, water and packaging in our operations.” – PepsiCo, on their environmental sustainability promise Environmentalists and corporations have not always seen eye-to-eye on matters of how our natural resources should best be used. In fact, many people see corporate industry as inherently anti-environmental. However, without industry, we would not be able to enjoy many of the comforts of modern day living. Corporations have many responsibilities including: to gain profit for their investors, to keep costs low for their consumers, to use natural resources efficiently, and to maintain decent pay and working conditions for their employees. So, how should corporations balance these differing needs with protection of the natural environment? Many corporations now have developed multiple ways of creating this balance. These include water stewardship plans, partnerships between corporations and environmental groups that help both parties agree on a water management strategy, implementation of environmental best practices, and new ideas for the future of water accountability and transparency.
  • Arizona Water Resource No. 2 (December 1997)

    University of Arizona. Water Resources Research Center. (Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 1997-12)
    This year's El Niño already has fully earned its claim to fame; this is the first such event predicted so far in advance. Also, the extent to which this year's event is being studied and observed is unprecedented.

View more