News

A new research article, published in the August 2026 issue of Groundwater for Sustainable Development, highlights the role water banking can play in strengthening groundwater supplies during drought and under a changing climate.

A message from Sharon B. Megdal, Director, University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center

I am pleased to announce my sabbatical plans for the Spring 2027 semester (January – May 2027). Through invited lectures, I aim to achieve the goals of my sabbatical, which are (1) to share information and perspectives regarding water policy and management from my applied research, teaching, and Extension experiences and (2) to learn from my visits and interactions. I hope to deliver lectures in Arizona, elsewhere in the US, and internationally.

On July 31, 2026, the US Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Post-2026 Operational Guidelines and Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The FEIS describes the proposed new guidelines and coordinated management strategies that will take effect when the current agreements expire at the end of 2026.

This month, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) approved Tucson Water’s assured water supply (AWS) designation for the next ten years, determining that Tucson residents would have at least 166,000 acre-feet of water annually for the next century.

The Water & Tribes Initiative (WTI) recently published a new policy brief, titled Tribal Sovereignty in the Colorado River Basin and Beyond. It begins by placing Tribal sovereignty in historical context, noting that “Native peoples have existed within self-governing political communities in North America for a very long time—millennia before Europeans arrived on the continent.”

On Thursday, July 16, a Growing Water Smart Peer Network Webinar featured a discussion of “Colorado River Negotiations.” Hosted by the Sonoran Institute and the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, the webinar was co-sponsored by the WRRC and the Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University. WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Karen Schlatter, Director of the Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University, provided presentations followed by a question-and-answer session with attendees.

The WRRC Annual Photo Contest is back! This year’s theme is Water in Focus. Use your artistic and technical abilities to express how water transforms our world and how people transform water. From ANY LOCATION, we invite you to show us how water connects to people, nature, the built environment, and agriculture.

The WRRC is seeking an AmeriCorps member to support our communications and outreach programs. This service opportunity is ideal for someone with strong writing and communication skills and an interest in water resources and environmental issues.

On June 15, a group of four scientists released their report on a 12-year study of environmental flow impacts on the Colorado River Delta, The State of the Colorado River Delta: Effects of Environmental Water Deliveries, 2014-2025.

In Active Management Areas (AMAs), the state of Arizona regulates water use to conserve water resources. Outside of AMAs, however, water conservation is voluntary. The WRRC’s new Water Conservation Factsheets offer informational resources on water conservation for those outside AMAs—often based in rural areas—who are seeking conservation best practices for their farms, municipalities, domestic wells, and more.