The Arizona Water Institute: Progress, Projects and Opportunities

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The Arizona Water InstituteProgress, Projects
and Opportunities
External Advisory Committee PERA Club, SRP August
29, 2006

• Katharine Jacobs Executive Director
• Arizona Water Institute
• www.azwaterinstitute.org

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Arizona Water Institute
A consortium of Arizonas universities focused
on improving quality of life in Arizona and
throughout the world through water research,
education and technology.
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Water Sustainability Program NSF/SRC
Engineering Research Center for Environmentally
Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing NSF Center
for Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and
Riparian Areas (SAHRA) NSF Water Quality
Center Water Resources Research Center
Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental
Research Watershed Research and Education
Program Institute for Tribal Environmental
Professionals
Central Arizona Phoenix Long-Term Ecological
Research Decision Center for a Desert City
Global Institute of Sustainability NSF Water
Quality Center Morrison Institute for Public
Policy
Institute for the Study of Planet Earth
Office of Arid Lands Studies NIEHS Superfund
Basic Research Program Udall Center for Studies
in Public Policy
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Arizona Water Institute

• MISSION
• Serve as the hub of research, community
  assistance and analytical support to assure clean
  and sustainable water resources
• 2. Provide education, training and professional
  capacity building to the public, government
  officials, water professionals industry, and
  others about managing water in arid/semi-arid
  environments

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Arizona Water Institute
3. Create water-management expertise and
technologies that produce new products and
services as an economic development driver for
Arizona.
Enhance the universities abilities to attract
top students and faculty from around the world by
providing collaborative and innovative
multi-disciplinary water curricula.
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Arizona Water Institute
STRUCTURE
Advisory Board
Executive Committee Govs Office, ASU, NAU, and
UA VPs for Research
Water Institute Executive Director
Coordinators at NAU, UA, ASU
AWI Assoc Director, Commerce
AWI Assoc Director, ADWR
AWI Assoc Director, ADEQ
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Arizona Water Institute Needs Assessment

• Stakeholder Focus Groups February, 2005
• Agency Needs Memos May - June 2005
• AWI Needs Assessment August 2005 Jan 2006
  (Andrea Gerlak)
• Broad stakeholder representation
• Focus on underrepresented groups
• Pilot testing of survey instrument
• Phone and electronic surveys
• 151 surveys 86 responses
• Confidentiality is maintained

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Arizona Water Institute Needs Assessment
Responses

• 7 Federal Agencies
• 9 Indian Tribes
• 4 State agencies in addition to ADWR, ADEQ
  and Commerce
• 10 Local and regional entities
• 12 Watershed groups
• 17 Regional and municipal providers
• 6 Private Sector
• 7 Professional associations and consultants
• 7 Agricultural community
• 7 Environmental community

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AWI Tri-University Request for Proposals

• 400,000 available, 50,000 maximum per proposal
• Issued Friday, August 11
• 2-page Proposals due Friday, September 22
• Faculty and staff are eligible, with partnerships
  with universities/public and private sector
  required

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AWI Project Prioritization Criteria

• Evidence of need for project (clear benefits to
  stakeholders)
• Strategic importance to water management and the
  Arizona Water Institute
• Scientific/technical/intellectual excellence and
  innovation
• Collaborative approach 2 universities/agencies
• Qualifications of investigators
• Availability of matching funds and other
  contributions
• Commercialization, economic development and
  technology transfer opportunities
• Interdisciplinary and boundary-spanning
  opportunities.

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AWI Research Themes

• Hydrologic information management
• Water quality and treatment
• Ecosystem quality, restoration and management
• Conservation and consumer behavior
• Aquifer management and sustainability
• Watershed technical assistance and facilitation
• Educational opportunities and innovations
• Climate variability and change
• Tribal support
• International applications and research
• Commercialization, technology transfer and
  economic development

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Arizona Water Institute Four Initial Projects

• Arizona Hydrologic Information System
• Arizona Water Quality Priority Projects
• Arsenic and other inorganic contaminants in
  drinking water and source waters
• Emerging contaminants in wastewater

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Arizona Water Institute Four Initial Projects

• Intel Water Conservation Technology Exchange
• Meeting the Water Management and Planning
  Needs within Watersheds
• Groundwater modeling, spring monitoring
• Development of planning tools and scenarios

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AZ Wells Search options, data tables, water depth
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Arizona Water Institute the first six months

• Completed needs assessment and business plan
• Completed four first year proof of concept
  projects
• Hired director, administrative associate, campus
  coordinators and 1 of 3 associate directors
• Received initial year base funding
• Identified over 250 project ideas and 11 research
  themes
• Issued RFP for tri-University proposals
• Received Arizona Community Foundation Grant
• Designed fundraising campaign
• Established external advisory committee
• Established office, website, newsletter,
  communications
• Sponsored several workshops, conferences and
  presentations

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Potential Revenues for AWI, for July 20062011
(M) BATTELLE Technology Partnership Practice
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AWI Expense Projection
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Arizona Water Institute

• Improving quality of life in Arizona and
  throughout the world through water research,
  technical assistance, education and technology

www.azwaterinstitute.org