Water Policy Forum on Arizona Solutions to Colorado River Supply Challenges
Date: Friday, April 10, 2015
Time: 10–11 am
Location: University of Arizona, Center for Creative Photography Auditorium, 1030 N. Olive Road, Tucson
Senator Jeff Flake is convening a water policy forum at the University of Arizona to hear about current Colorado River supply challenges and future strategies. The forum will be hosted by the Water Resources Research Center and will cover a range of topics, including:
- The status and future predictions of Lake Mead storage
- The consequences of a Colorado River shortage declaration
- Arizona projects to store groundwater, including Arizona Water Banking Authority, CAP’s Recharge Program, and Tucson-Phoenix pilot groundwater storage program
- The relationship between groundwater storage/recovery and a Colorado River shortage declaration
- Future Arizona efforts to mitigate shortage impacts and develop additional underground storage
UA President Ann Weaver Hart will provide opening remarks and introduce the Senator. Senator Flake will set the stage for a panel of distinguished experts to discuss Colorado River challenges and Arizona’s use of underground storage to provide for future water supplies. The audience will have a chance to ask questions of the panel.
Panelists include Tom Buschatzke, Director, ADWR; Marie Pearthree, Deputy General Manager, CAP; Alan Forrest, Director, Tucson Water; Sharon Megdal, Director, Water Resources Research Center.
Visitor parking: Park Avenue Garage, 1140 N. Park Ave.
Restoration of the Colorado River Delta: One Year After
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Time: 4:30 – 6:00 pm
Location: Gallagher Theater, UA Student Union Memorial Center
On May 15, 2014, the Colorado River met the Sea of Cortez for the first time since the 1990’s as a result of a landmark agreement between the U.S. and Mexico known as “Minute 319.” The agreement allowed release of 105,000 AF of water from Lake Mead as a “pulse flow” in a grand experiment to revitalize the delta, at one time one of the world’s great desert aquatic ecosystems.
Join us when a panel of experts talks about the cross border politics and science behind this unique restoration effort and what the impacts have been on vegetation, wildlife, and groundwater recharge a year after the release began. It will be an opportunity to view breathtaking video of the pulse flow and the subsequent greening of the delta on the big screen.
Moderator: Sharon Megdal, Director, Water Resources Research Center
Panelists: Yamilett Carrillo, Executive Director, Delta Water Trust; Karl Flessa, Professor, UA Department of Geosciences; Francisco Zamora Arroyo, Director, Colorado River Delta Legacy Program, Sonoran Institute