History of AWI Research Approach
A survey taken in 2006 revealed strong interest in collaborating with the Arizona Water Institute by a range of individuals representing local, county,state, and federal governments, Indian tribes, watershed alliances, farmers, water companies, non-governmental organizations, and private industries. From this survey AWI developed a long list of potential projects requested by Arizona agencies and communities. The research needs have been organized into several research themes, each with a collaborative research team and a theme leader.
AWI Research Focal Areas
- Building the Arizona Hydrologic Information System (AHIS), which is a data access and retrieval platform for water-related information, designed for a variety of users: public, private and research interests.
- Climate change/drought/adaptation, which focuses on reducing vulnerability to droughts and floods, long range planning, scenario development, supply adequacy, and designing strategies for competitiveness in the changing global market.
- Energy/water sustainability, which is centered on the nexus between water and energy issues, ie, the water requirements for generating electric power and the power requirements for pumping, treating and delivering water supplies, and on water and energy conservation.
- Capacity building/watershed research and support, which helps watershed groups, communities, tribal entities, and private sector interests get better access to information for decision-making, including groundwater and surface water modeling, drought planning, facilitation and support for conflict resolution, etc.
- Salinity management & technologies, which develops ways to reduce the cost of desalination, improve efficiency of treatment processes and membranes, and manage waste streams.
- Emerging contaminants and treatment technologies, which includes research into the occurrence, fate, measurement, and treatability, (including the development of detection devices), for emerging contaminants such as pathogens, pharmaceuticals, and other organic contaminants, and issues of emerging concern such as management of sulfate, arsenic, radon and uranium in water.
Four Initial Research Projects
- Arizona Hydrologic Information System (AHIS): The goal of this project is to develop the information infrastructure of the Arizona Water Institute and to provide access to data relevant to water-related research, technology, planning, education, and outreach from multiple sources within the southwest. Specific aims of this project are to (1) develop web based "metadata" catalog of known available water resources information, (2) design system architecture for the "virtual" water institute itself, including the information backbone for data sharing for the three universities, and (3) initiate collaborative design process for long-term public access, web-based water information system and a phased implementation plan.
- AWI Water Quality Priority Projects: Two water quality themes with long-term implications for water management are under way: Arsenic and other inorganic contaminants in drinking water and source waters, and Emerging contaminants in wastewater. The arsenic project involves research to provide more effective, less expensive means for public water systems to address problematic regulated inorganic contaminants in raw water supplies, with emphasis on compliance with the new, more protective EPA drinking water Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for arsenic. The emerging contaminants project involves research emphasizing contaminants in municipal wastewater, use of the biosolids produced by sewage treatment facilities, beneficial reuse of the reclaimed water, and recharge of groundwater supplies.
- Water Conservation Technology Exchange: Intel held an initial forum for water conservation technology exchanges between industrial water users, water providers, policy makers, research and educational institutions, and other community groups at the Ocotillo manufacturing campus in Chandler. Additional forums will be held to enhance technology transfer to conserve water in the industrial sector.
- Meeting the Water Management and Planning Needs Within Watersheds: This prototype project is intended to bring the water talent of Arizona's three universities together through the AWI to address watershed issues with tools and solutions transferable to regional, national and international issues. The initial phase includes collaborative groundwater and surface water modeling and spring monitoring in the Prescott area, involving USGS, NAU and U of A hydrologists. It is hoped that the scope will expand to demonstrate incorporation of long term water supply planning, drought planning and vulnerability assessments using new communication and collaboration tools, including participatory GIS and innovative visioning tools.