Arizona Water Resources Center's Sharon Megdal kicks off fall CATalyst CHATs series
U of A Water Resources Research Center Director Sharon Megdal kicked off our fall CATalyst CHAT series with an insightful talk: “Dry Times, Bold Moves: Innovation for Arizona’s Water Future.” Drawing on decades of leadership in water policy, Megdal shared insights on Arizona’s groundwater and Colorado River water supplies and discussed the "Wicked water problems" facing Arizona, as well as the innovation and collaboration necessary for addressing these complex issues.
As a testament to her industry connections, several of Megdal's former students and colleagues attended the event.
Megdal’s talk highlighted the ways in which Arizona has been a water innovator. For example, the Assured Water Supply Program, Arizona’s water banking and recharge, new rules and regulations regarding water re-use and progress on Indian water rights settlements are important innovations. However, as Megdal emphasized, “the need for innovation has never been greater.” Policy innovations are needed to share the burden of reduced Colorado River flows, addressing rural groundwater management, and locating large, non-agricultural water users (e.g., data centers). Other areas for innovations include new technologies and incentives for reducing water use in the agricultural sector and new funding sources and projects for supplementing Arizona’s water supplies. Importantly, these innovations require public support for new policy changes.
Those who are interested in learning more about Megdal and the Arizona Water Resources Research Center are invited to subscribe to the Weekly Wave newsletter. The most recent issue contains several highlights from her talk.
Mark your calendar for our next CATalyst CHAT on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Fusion - a Future of Limitless Energy will feature Senior Vice President for Research and Partnerships Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, College of Engineering Craig M. Berge Dean David Hahn and Professor of Materials Science Horst Hahn as they discuss the future of fusion energy and U of A's role toward commercialization.