News

A new water podcast, Listening to the Ripples, is all about centering and honoring our relationship with water through the care and leadership of Indigenous matriarchs. Join host tylee nez (Diné/Hopi) to explore the communities, climate, hydrology, and history of the Colorado River Basin, featuring Indigenous women living in the basin and advocating for water sovereignty.

Global water scarcity is often described as a crisis, but according to Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, this term is misleading. Crisis implies a short-term, reversible disruption. The world’s human-water systems are well beyond the crisis point. Instead, these systems are entering global water bankruptcy following a period of water insolvency so prolonged that many of its impacts have become irreversible. On June 10, 2026, the WRRC hosted a webinar with Madani to discuss his framework for the state of global water resources and to imagine a path forward.

The University of Arizona has once again been recognized among the world's leading research institutions, earning a top ranking in water resources in the 2026–2027 US News & World Report Best Global Universities Rankings. Among universities worldwide, the U of A ranked number three in the United States in water resources. This high rank reflects the university's strong research performance, reputation, publications, and citations in that field.

The WRRC is excited to announce the release of six Arizona Water Conservation Factsheets, which are intended to provide useful water-saving strategies to communities, businesses, and individuals in areas where technical resources may be limited. The factsheet topics include conservation strategies for small water systems and their customers, domestic wells, small-scale farms, and rural industries, as well as streams and their riparian areas. The water conservation factsheets will be officially released on June 30, 2026.

Each summer, people across the Southwest watch the sky for signs of the annual monsoon. These storms provide Arizona and New Mexico with more than half of their yearly rainfall, bringing much-needed moisture, dramatic lightning displays, and a welcome break from extreme heat. For weather enthusiasts, photographers, scientists, and curious community members alike, local events and activities offer opportunities to celebrate, learn about, and engage with others over the Southwest monsoon.

At the University of Arizona’s Spring 2026 commencement ceremony, F. Ronald “Ron” Rayner, a long-time friend of the WRRC and pillar of Arizona’s agricultural community, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science from the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences (CALES).

The WRRC is pleased to introduce two new students who have recently joined our team — Caroleine James, our Water Outreach Summer Intern, and Lauren Yeager, who joins us as the Arroyo Summer Intern and will assist in the development of our 2027 Arroyo publication. 

On May 12, 2026, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal presented a webinar for the University of Arizona’s Pinal County Cooperative Extension Agronomy Program, titled “Colorado River Updates: Shaping the Future of Arizona Agriculture.” The mission of the Cooperative Extension Agronomy Program is to serve the public by creating a link between Arizona residents and topic experts at the U of A.

On Wednesday, June 10, Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH) and the architect of the water bankruptcy concept, will present a WRRC Water Webinar on why the planet has entered the era of global water bankruptcy. Sustained pressure on rivers, aquifers, and freshwater ecosystems has pushed many human-water systems into a post-crisis condition where recovery is no longer possible.

The WRRC is pleased to share the Spanish translation of Arroyo 2026 – Borders and Water: Institutions, Investments, and Information. The Spanish version, Fronteras y Agua: Instituciones, Inversiones e Información, expands access to the publication for Spanish-speaking readers interested in shared water resources, especially in the context of the US–Mexico border.