Get ready for Earth Day next Friday, April 22! Since 1970, Earth Day has been a day for environmental consciousness and public efforts to keep our environment clean.
November 19, 2021
Infrastructure Deal is Big News for WRRC and Water Sector
Did you know that the WRRC was part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill? The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law this week, contains historic investment in water resources and, of particular importance to the WRRC, it reauthorized the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA). As our readers may know, the WRRC is the water resources research institute for AZ, federally authorized under the WRRA. The reauthorization extends WRRA funding through FY2025 and contains changes long advocated by the WRRC and peer research institutes nationwide. An important change halves the cost-sharing requirement, from 2:1 to 1:1. This change will significantly improve the WRRC’s ability to leverage WRRA funding for our research and outreach programs, including the Section 104(b) student grant program. We will be issuing the next call for 104(b) proposals in the spring semester.
Of more general interest to the water sector, the infrastructure deal includes over $50 billion for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure funding, according to an EPA Fact Sheet. Among its many water-related provisions, the Act allocates $1 billion for water reuse projects in the western US, $11.7 billion each for Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, and an additional $15 billion in loans and grants for lead service pipe replacement. Multi-benefit watershed health projects received $100 million, desalination projects $250 million, and Drought Contingency Plan implementation $300 million.
Image: Andy Pernick, Bureau of Reclamation
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Recent News
April 15, 2022
City Nature Challenge
On April 9, Arizona Project WET hosted several teachers for a workshop to introduce community-based science tools and methods in anticipation of the upcoming City Nature Challenge (CNC). Starting in 2016 as a competition between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the CNC has grown into an international event, motivating people around the world to find and share wildlife in their cities. The CNC is an annual four-day bioblitz to document biodiversity. This year the CNC runs from April 29 to May 2.
April 15, 2022
WRRC Participates in ISMAR11 Conference
This week, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Post-doctoral Researcher Mary-Belle Cruz Ayala participated in the 11th International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge conference (ISMAR11) in Long Beach, CA. The full-week conference, which included workshops, technical sessions, an awards luncheon, field trips, and networking opportunities, was chaired by University of Arizona alumnus Adam Hutchinson, recharge planning manager for the Orange County Water District.
April 08, 2022
Celebrate Water Awareness Month
April is Water Awareness Month (WAM) in Arizona! This month, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) will be raising awareness about the importance of water conservation.
March 25, 2022
World Water Day 2022 – In Tucson and Around the World
March 22 is World Water Day, so designated by the United Nations in 1993. It is observed annually here in Arizona and throughout the world, by stakeholders who gather to learn about, honor, and celebrate water.
March 15, 2022
Summer 2022 Arroyo Internship
The University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center is offering a paid summer internship for a student who wants to gain experience with research and writing about environmental and water issues. The selected intern will contribute to the Arroyo, the annual WRRC publication that focuses on a water issue critical to Arizona. Arroyo is recognized as a source of objective, accurate, and understandable information and reaches a wide audience that includes policy makers and water professionals as well as the interested public.