The University of Arizona is the lead institution in a new $16 million, multi-university center that will develop ways to efficiently manage water resources in semi-arid regions. Professor Soroosh Sorooshian of UA Hydrology and Water Resources will direct the new National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Technology Center (STC). Researchers and students from several colleges at UA will be involved, as well as other universities, government agencies and private institutions.

Water resources are under extreme stress in many semi-arid regions because of rapid development, variations in climate and disruptions caused by long-term climate change. Sustaining these resources through the 21st century will depend on effectively managing water resources systems, Sorooshian says.

Developing water management strategies demands integrating and accommodating a wide variety of needs, both environmental and human.To do this, the STC will set research priorities by involving researchers and water resources managers and users. Among the large water providers now active in the center are Arizona's Salt River Project, the Elephant Butte Irrigation District in New Mexico and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

By providing decision-makers with reliable information the program also will help resolve pressing water issues at the local level. Sorooshian identified Tucson's ongoing struggle with Central Arizona Project issues as the type of problem the new program can help resolve.

More acccurate measurements of groundwater recharge rates will enable hydrologists to determine to what extent Tucsonans can rely on the aquifer for water supplies, he said. Also increased accuracy in predicting frequency of droughts and floods and rainfall trends will greatly affect how groundwater is used in the area, he said.

Research will differ from most water resources research in the degree to which it is coordinated, inter-disciplinary and user-directed. The goal is to generate research findings and models with real-world applications and get the new technology rapidly implemented.

Along with research, the STC will support educational and outreach activities. Educational efforts will span kindergarten through graduate school levels and will include development of programs and curricula for use in science education programs. The center aims to educate a new generation of water resources managers, providing them an interdisciplinary perspective and new technological skills and tools. Increasing the number and diversity of young people considering careers in various water resources fields is another major goal. The STC also will undertake to increase the hydrologic literacy of the general public.

Outreach activities will be geared not only at making decision-makers aware of the technology being generated by researchers, but also at informing researchers what improved informaton is needed by decision-makers. This two-way flow of information is geared at increasing the usefulness of new water resources management tools.

The center will draw upon researchers with varied expertise and from diverse locations, enabling it to investigate larger, more complex problems than can be addressed by individuals or small groups working in a local area. For example, center researchers plan to study riparian systems and the various aspects of water and salinity balance on a basin-wide scale. These results then will be used to develop basin-scale hydrologic and chemical models. Social science research will focus on demographic and economic shifts, changing legal structures and economic markets for water, and at changing public attitudes toward sustainable water management.

The $16 million will fund center operations for five years, after which it will be reviewed by NSF for an additional five years of funding. Participating academic institutions include New Mexico Tech, Pennsylvania State University, University of California (UCLA, Scripps and Riverside), Columbia University Biosphere 2, University of New Mexico, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Desert Research Institute, Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua and Instituto el Medro Ambiente y Desanollo Sustenable del Estado de Sonora.

Participating government institutions include Los Alamos National Laboratory, U.S. Geological Survey, Agricultural Research Service, Army Corps of Engineers and the International Boundary and Water Commission. Participating private, non-profit organizations include World Laboratory of Lausanne, Switzerland.