Publications

ADEQ Offers New GIS Web Site
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has created a Geographic Information System Web page providing environmental data and information on facilities and sites throughout the state. A link to the GIS page is available from ADEQ’s Web site at http://www.azdeq.gov and clicking the “GIS eMaps” link. Users are able to access information about facilities and cleanup sites within ADEQ’s jurisdiction. The page features information from ADEQ’s program divisions: air quality, tank programs, waste programs and water quality.

New Web Site Provides ADWR Groundwater Data
The University of Arizona’s Center for Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas has announced a new Web application — a searchable interface for the Arizona Department of Water Resources’ Ground Water Site Inventory database, the agency’s main repository for statewide groundwater data. GWSI consists of field data collected on 43,000 wells by personnel from the Hydrology Division or the U.S. Geologic Survey dating as far back as 1914. The information in GWSI is constantly updated by ongoing field investigations and through a statewide network of water level monitoring sites.

The easy-to-use web interface, developed by SAHRA computer database expert Ramon Vazquez and graduate student Guillermo Ponce-Campos, features searches by decimal latitude/longitude, latitude/longitude in D/M/S, well ID number, cadastral, or by clicking and zooming on an interactive map. Outputs include time series plots of depth to groundwater and maps of wells meeting search criteria.

The GWSI project received financial support from the USGS and the UA’s Water Sustainability Program; a panel that included several consultants provided technical review. This is the first installment of a larger Arizona Wells and Groundwater Database designed to help homeowners, water professionals and state agencies easily locate well information. See: http://www.sahra.arizona.edu/wells

Our Water, Our Future: Policy Options to Safeguard Water Resources in Arizona
Arizona Public Interests Research Group (Arizona PIRG)
Arizona PIRG, a public interest advocate, expresses concern about Arizona’s water supplies, seeing the state’s finite, limited supply of water being stretched between new, fast accumulating demands. It notes that Arizona’s population is projected to double by 2030, with much of this growth occurring in rural regions, areas with minimal protections or regulations on water and its use. The report notes that according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Arizona could face a potential water supply crisis by 2025; existing water supplies may not then be adequate to meet demands for people, farms or the environment.
The report identifies and discusses policy solutions that can ensure that Arizona will have enough water to prosper, now and in the future. A pdf version of the report is available at: http://www.arizonapirg.org/AZ.asp?id2=22597

Pesticides – Assessing and Managing the Problem

Pesticides in the Nation’s Streams and Ground Water
U.S. Geological Survey. Robert Gilliom, Donna et al. The report, Circular 1291, is available at http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ./circ1291, or by calling 1-888-ASK-USGS, or by fax 303-202-4693.
This report describes the occurrence of pesticides in streams and groundwater during 1992-2001, concluding that pesticides are typically present throughout the year in most U.S. streams in urban and agricultural areas; they are less common in groundwater. The report found that pesticides are seldom at concentrations likely to affect humans, although in many streams, particularly those draining urban and agricultural areas, pesticides were present at concentrations that may affect aquatic life or fish-eating wildlife. Robert Hirsch, associate director for water, said “the USGS assessment provides the most comprehensive national-scale analysis to date of pesticide occurrence in streams and groundwater. Findings show where, when, and why specific pesticides occur, and yield science-based implications for assessing and managing pesticides in our water resources.” For additional USGS information on pesticide assessment see:
http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/

Water and Pesticide Safety CD
Louis Carlo and Paul Baker, University of Arizona Dept. of Entomology and Cooperative Extension.
The use and misuse of pesticides due to drift, over application, and unsafe storage have resulted in the accumulation of pesticide residues in Arizona waterways. This CD explains the problem of pesticides in state waterways and teaches safety guidelines to protect community health and environmental quality. A multimedia educational tool, it uses interactive learning modules to illustrate the basic principles of pesticide safety. Section one offers basic pesticide application topics to help protect water resources. Section 2 focuses on water and safety practices and includes eight learning modules to teach ways to reduce the risks of pesticide exposure and environmental contamination of water supplies. A limited number of free copies are available; to order check: http://cals.arizona.edu/pito/
The development of the CD was supported by a grant from the UA Water Sustainability Program, funded through the Technology and Research Initiative Fund.

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