Water Resources
There is a reason UArizona is No. 1 in water resources: we take water seriously. At Arizona Environment, we examine the critical intersections between groundwater and surface water, climate change and water supply, wildfire and water quality, conservation and quality of life, emerging contaminants and wastewater reuse.
With over 280 faculty members in 48 departments working collaboratively on water science and policy, we innovate on water-related solutions at multiple scales. Every year, the UArizona advances new management approaches, technologies, tools and data to build resilience, water security and water safety for the future. The University of Arizona Water Network is organized into five themes – drought and climate, environmental systems, management and policy, society and culture, and technology and industry. As new water challenges come, Arizona Environment stands ready to provide real-world experience and cutting-edge research to help build solutions in the context of new technologies, interconnected watersheds and multiple sources of scientific and technical uncertainty.
Research Spotlights in Water Resources
Mark Brusseau
Environmental Science and Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences
Brusseau studies the factors and processes that influence the transport and fate of contaminants in the subsurface and discharge into groundwater.
Read moreKarletta Chief
Environmental Science
Chief investigates climate change and drought impacts to indigenous peoples, with a focus on arid zone hydrology, drought resiliency planning, and regional meteorology and climatology.
Read moreSharon Megdal
Water Resources Research Center
Megdal’s research focuses on water policy and management, including comparative evaluation of water management, policy, and governance in water-scarce regions of the world.
Read moreMichael Crimmins
Environmental Sciences & Arizona Cooperative Extension
Crimmins’s research includes investigations of seasonal climate predictions and drought management preparedness.
Read moreDominic Boccelli
Civil and Architectural Engineering
Boccelli focuses on urban water infrastructure, particularly real-time modeling of drinking water distribution systems, contamination warning systems, and water quality issues associated with disinfectants and by-product formation.
Read moreKevin Lansey
Hydrology and Water Resources & Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
Lansey’s research foci are water distribution and systems analysis, conjunctive water supply and reuse, and ecohydrology and decision making in the Sonora and San Pedro watersheds.
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The NSF-UA Accelerator Mass Spectrometry facility is dedicated to the study of cosmogenic isotopes, with special emphasis on radiocarbon, 14C. The laboratory acts both as an analytical resource to the general community and as a research and training center.
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(AIR) coordinates interdisciplinary groups of faculty, students and projects across the University of Arizona’s campus, from climate science to public policy, law, the arts, water resources and beyond. AIR explores and develops solutions with campus and community partners that will serve human and natural communities across the globe.
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ALEC provides critical data for public health decision making and water sustainability with their analyses of environmental contaminants such as lead, arsenic, TCE, and PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances).
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The UA-led Santa Catalina Mountains and Jemez River Basin Critical Zone Observatory aims to improve understanding of the function, structure, and co-evolution of biota, soils, and landforms that comprise the critical zone by examining and measuring geomorphic, hydrologic, and biogeochemical interactions within it.
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The Climate Dynamics and Hydrometeorology Center coordinates interdisciplinary research on hydrometeorology and climate among eleven academic units on campus and assists the transfer of hydrometeorology and climate knowledge to the local community, Arizona, the nation, and the world.
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The Dean Carter Binational Center supports binational research in the environmental sciences aimed at improving public health in Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico Border, particularly by solving problems at contaminated sites and developing assessment and remediation methodologies that are broadly applicable.
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The Desert Research Unit performs basic and applied research to evaluate and promote methods for reclamation of water and land in arid and semiarid environments.
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ESRAC provides expertise to industry, the community, and researchers in the areas of human exposure science and risk assessment of environmental hazards to workers and communities (chemical, biological and physical), with an emphasis on healthcare-acquired infections.
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The UA RAFT testbed contains three 600-L open raceway growth systems and two larger scale raceway cultivation systems for small- and large-scale algae cultivation experiments, which include capabilities for low-heat solar-powered pumping, sumps to store cultures at night to conserve heat and increase winter productivity, and for harvesting biomass and recycling media.
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The School of Sustainable Engineered Systems will be a leader in the improved design of linkages between our natural and engineered systems to sustainably provide material resources, water, energy, infrastructure, and manufactured products through innovative education, research, and outreach.
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The SW CASC provides objective scientific information, tools, and techniques that land, water, wildlife, and cultural resource managers and other interested parties can apply to anticipate, monitor, and adapt to climate change impacts in the southwestern U.S.
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The WEST Center is a world renowned venue focused on advanced treatment and detection of emerging microbial and chemical contaminants in municipal wastes and reclaimed water, alternative energy and related technologies.
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The WRRC promotes understanding of critical state and regional water management and policy issues through research, community outreach, and public education.
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