סמינר חוגי “Wicked Water Problems of the Colorado River Basin”

Title:  “Wicked Water Problems of the Colorado River Basin”

Summary:  Professor Megdal will discuss some of the wicked water problems of the Colorado River Basin, including imbalance between surface water supply and demand, groundwater overdraft, lack of consideration of the water needs of nature, and Navajo Nation water availability and infrastructure challenges, which are long-standing but have come to national and international attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. She will also address how they are being addressed and process factors that can contribute to mitigating wicked water problems, including those that are trans-border. Though different in size, with the Colorado River watershed spanning 637,000 km2  and the river providing water to about 40 million people, there are parallels between the regions, something Professor Megdal will also comment on during her presentation.

Speaker: Sharon B. Megdal is Director of The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. She also holds the titles: Professor, Department of Environmental Science; C.W. & Modene Neely Endowed Professor; and Distinguished Outreach Professor.  Her work focuses on water policy and management, with the geographic scope of Dr. Megdal’s work ranging from local to international. Projects include: comparative evaluation of water management, policy, and governance in water-scarce regions; groundwater recharge; and transboundary aquifer assessment.